Our Beautiful Gift from God was Love in Action Joy Marie Heard Strickland Born October 4, 1985 Passed September 30, 2017 Joy loved her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, first and foremost. She loved reading her Bible and Christian books about bettering relationships and raising her children to be the best they could be. She loved her Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Sabbath Day. She attended church from birth and was baptized into the Seventh Day Adventist Church when she was eight years old. She loved her parents, brothers and sister and their children and was always there for any of them. Her children were her life and reason for everything she did. She loved her job and her residents and they loved her back. She was a Certified Nursing Assistant. She had a precious heart bigger than she is. Her entire life she loved the country theme and her home reflects the beauty of it. She loved creating anything that portrays her faith and a warm and loving home for anyone who stepped inside to enjoy. She was a true friend to anyone who needed her. She brought so much joy and happiness to everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. She had a precious giving heart and loved life to the fullest, seizing every moment to provide life enriching experiences for her friends and family. She gave herself unselfishly to all who needed her. She loved singing and playing the piano. She also played the flute and violin and passed the love of music to her children. She loved cooking and baking everything from scratch and if you went to her home after her hard day’s work, you would find her in the kitchen creating fabulous meals and desserts. She loved going to the ballets and the Nutcracker was her favorite tradition every year. She loved vintage clothing, shopping, and having a ginormous shoe collection. She loved decorating her home to the hilt for every season and holiday. Fall was her favorite. Her home was always open to everyone’s children and she loved being called “Mom” by them. She loved boogie boarding in the ocean at her favorite beach, Westport. She totally invested her life in people and in May of 2017, God put her together with her perfect mate, Brian. They and the children made a beautiful family. Joy attended Aberdeen High School and Grays Harbor College. She was a faithful long time Certified Nursing Assistant at Pacific Care Center in Hoquiam. Our Joy is survived by her three children: Peyton Allen James Strickland, Savannah Marie Strickland and Madelynn Kate Strickland; her parents, Carol Daitey and Max Heard (Kennette); a sister, Tovi Barclay (Deven); two brothers, Paul Heard (Verna) and Clint Heard; six nephews, one grandnephew and two grandnieces; and her fiancé, Brian Jasper. There will be a time of viewing on Friday, October 13, from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. at Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, WA. Graveside service will take place at Fern Hill Cemetery, Saturday, October 14, 12:00 P.M. Celebration of life will be at the Seventh Day Adventist Church Saturday, October 14, 2:00 P.M. 3101 Cherry Street in Hoquiam. Messages of condolence or of a memory can be sent to the family at www.fernhillfuneral.com Arrangements are entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen.