Joy Wanell Parker Simpson passed away in Granbury Monday, March 9, 2026, following a brief illness.

A memorial service will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 9 at Azle Church of Christ, 336 Northwest Parkway in Azle. A graveside service will follow at 3 p.m. at Pleasant Grove Cemetery #2, 1064 County Road 4679 in Boyd. In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to the Azle Church of Christ in memory of Joy.

Joy was born in Fort Worth May 14, 1939, to Grayson Leon Parker and Mabel Vess Parker. She was a descendent of the original Parker family that settled in Texas in the1830s. Joy was a graduate of Technical High School in Fort Worth.

Following high school, she met the love of her life, Clarence “Larry” Simpson, an airman stationed at Carswell Air Force Base. After a blind date in which they talked for hours and fell in love immediately, they were married for 66 years.

After marriage, she and Larry lived in several locations across the country including Chicago, Abilene, Los Angeles, Denver and Dayton as he worked for Delta Air Lines and National Cash Register. In 1970 they returned to Texas for good, spending the majority of the time in Azle where they raised their children, Cheryl and David, and were active members of the Azle Church of Christ. After they grew up, Joy returned to the workforce and worked for the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.

Once she and Larry retired, they continued to stay busy, building their dream home on a lot on Eagle Mountain Lake where they spent their final 30 years together. She and Larry had many adventures together in retirement, traveling to Aruba, Ireland, Scotland and England; and spending many wonderful months house-sitting for friends and family in Hawaii.

Joy and Larry spent several years serving in the Sojourners RV group, where they traveled across the country assisting churches and Christian youth camps with building projects.

On many occasions they also “sojourned” to visit their children and grandchildren, inevitably helping with projects there, too!

Following Larry’s death, she moved to Granbury to be closer to her daughter and son-in-law. 

Joy leaves behind a legacy of love and devotion. Joy was much loved for her stories of her life and experiences. She will be remembered for her humor, warmth and life of caring service to her family and her faith. Her smile, her intelligence, her wit, and her accent will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

The family would like to thank the staff of The Cove Assisted Living and Alpha / Omega Hospice for the loving kindness they showed her while under their care.

In addition to her husband, Joy was preceded in death by her parents, Grayson and Mabel Parker, and her sister, Wanda Lee.

She is survived by brothers, John Parker, James Parker (Cindy); sister, Linda Maikell (Joe); children, Cheryl Bonner (Royal “Bud’) and David Simpson (Sandie); grandchildren, Jonathan, Thomas and Mellie Simpson, as well as many nephews, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces.