Ercilda Joyce Shirley

Ercilda Joyce Shirley was born on July 31, 1947 to the late Linette Eunice Williams and Reginald Forbes in the parish of St. Elizabeth on the beautiful island of Jamaica, West Indies. She was the second of eight children. Ercilda, better known as Joyce, spent her early childhood years with her grandparents and aunts. She was very assertive at a young age and chose to live with her dad who she called Papa or Reggie. Papa migrated to England and was later joined by his daughter Joyce and they lived in Birmingham, Great Britain through her adult years. Joyce was a no-nonsense person who worked hard for all that she achieved. She was very outspoken, effervescent and often times quite loud, but that is what made her the person she was.

Shortly after her arrival in England, Joyce met the man who would become her
soulmate, Bancroft Shirley affectionately known as Bannie. Bannie knew that Joyce was the woman of his dreams on that fateful day they happened to meet as she got off the bus to visit family. She asked him for directions and he gave her directions straight to his heart and they were inseparable from that day forward. One year after meeting, in the days when men asked the father of the bride for her hand in marriage and being the gentleman he is, Bannie romanced Joyce and proposed to his young bride-to-be and they were married in 1968. Their union produced two children, Marie and Stephen Shirley, who were born in London, England. Joyce was a dedicated mother and wife and always strived for the best for them. Nothing was more important to her than her children and family. She met her best friend, Shirley Dehaney, in the UK. Both were expecting their first child. They remained life-long friends. They even lived together in 1983 when the family migrated to Florida, United States. While in Florida Joyce studied phlebotomy and worked for Winter Park Memorial Hospital for many years. Joyce was taught to have strong Christian values from a young age and as her daughter

Marie remembers "Mom taught me to love." She was a God-fearing woman who
attended different churches while in England, but later returned to her first love
and was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist faith by Pastor Louis Preston. Upon her arrival in the United States she joined the Patmos Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church and for over 20 years until she became ill, she served in various capacities: usher, deaconess and Pathfinder Master Guide. Joyce loved to sing in the choir and at some point became coordinator for the Chamber Singers. She will be remembered for her rendition of "God is a Good God" which was her favorite song. She was faithful in her service to God and to the church and would actively participate in every church event she could. Some of you may recall her famous dance moves at one of the church's international food festivals, which stopped Pastor Wright in his tracks to see Sister Shirley "get down." Joyce loved a gathering of friends and family where she could share her culinary skills with her signature rice and peas, and reminisce about her home country of Jamaica and mangoes, which were her favorite fruit. She was vibrant, loved life, and enjoyed travelling. She was "the life of the party" on the many trips and cruises that she would often take with Bannie and her church family. As warm as the Jamaican sunshine, that was the heart of Ercilda Joyce Shirley. She had a heart that did not stop giving. Joyce touched the lives of many, from young to old and each person was inspired and left with a personal, lasting impression of her beautiful spirit. Joyce believed that she will be with her Lord and Savior on that great day. On the evening of January 7, 2017, after several years of illness, the Lord called her to her rest. Joyce leaves behind her beloved and devoted husband Bancroft Shirley (Bannie) of 48 years, daughter Marie, son Stephen, grandsons Jusiyah, Demetri and granddaughter, Ava; sisters Nicolette and Annette, brothers Leroy, Lloyd, and Owen; two brothers-in-law, three sisters-in-law, twelve nieces and nephews, a host of cousins and friends, too many to mention. Ercilda Joyce Shirley, feisty, outspoken, full of life, and well-loved you will be missed.