Joy Newman

Joy Newman, age 61, of Orlando, Florida passed away on June 12, 2016 after a short, courageous battle with an aggressive form of cancer at Florida Hospital East Orlando. Joy was born at Fort Benning, Georgia on December 3, 1954, the daughter of William and Barbara Balding. She spent her high school years in Hot Springs, North Carolina with her grandparents, attending Spring Creek High School, where she played basketball (her tall and lanky physique earned her the nickname "Ollie", after Olive Oil from the Popeye cartoons) and participated in various extracurricular activities. After graduating in 1973, Joy went on to attend the University of West Georgia, where she became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Soon after, she moved to Asheville, North Carolina where she met and married Byrne Allen Evans III ("Allen"), who would help her bring her greatest joys in her life into the world – a son, Allen Clark Evans ("Clark"), and a daughter, April Christine Evans. A few years later, Joy and Allen divorced and Joy focused her efforts on being a single mother and providing for her children. In 1991, Joy was introduced to Steve Newman – the brother of a friend who worked with her at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville. On December 28, 1991, the two were married, and within a month, Joy, Clark, and April relocated to Orlando, where Steve resided. Joy worked at St. Cloud Hospital from 1992 until her retirement in 2008. When she was not working, she was an active participant at her children's schools, volunteering in their classrooms, and attending PTA meetings, school plays, Honor Society inductions, and countless choir performances all over Central Florida. Joy is survived by her beloved companion, Steve Newman of Orlando, FL; son, Allen Clark Evans, and daughter-in-law, Susanna Evans of Grafton, WI; daughter, April Christine Salazar, and son-in-law, David Salazar of Orlando, FL; and her grandson who is due to be born on August 22, 2016, Hunter David Salazar. She was preceded in death by her mother, Barbara Spain; father, William Balding; and step-father, John Spain. Family will greet friends from 10AM to 11AM on Monday, June 27th at Newcomer Funeral Home in East Orlando with a funeral service to follow at 11AM. Interment will take place in Greenwood Cemetery, Orlando, FL. Joy will be greatly missed by her family and friends, who will always carry her in their hearts."Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light" (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling).