Joyce Helen Hitch

Joyce Hitch Gray passed away peacefully August 22, 2012 at the Childers Place, Amarillo, Texas. Joyce Hitch Gray was born, October 12, 1916 near Guymon, Oklahoma, on the Henry C. Hitch Ranch. This ranch was homesteaded by her grandfather, James K. Hitch in 1884 and continues to prosper to this day as a family-owned enterprise, headed up by the 5th generation of the Hitch family. From the beginning to the end of her life, Joyce exhibited the strength of her pioneer heritage and a deep, enduring faith. She had an indomitable spirit, an upbeat attitude, a strong will and character, generosity, and an interest and curiosity in people. She was a self-described 'tom-boy'and her childhood was one of adventure -- from climbing to the top of a 75' tall windmill at age 3 to riding horses at a very young age along with her father, Henry C. Hitch, to work cattle and check the pastureland. Some of her happiest childhood memories were of those times spent with her father and on horseback. When the time came to go to school, she rode her pony several miles 'up the creek' to her country school until the 6th grade, after which, she rode in a small school bus into Guymon. After graduating from Guymon High School, she attended Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha, OK for 3 years. While there, she won many equestrian trophies, riding English style. At the suggestion of her Aunt Erma, her mother's sister who lived in Washington, D.C., she continued her adventures when she moved to Washington, D.C. to complete her college education at George Washington University, earning her bachelor's degree in psychology in early 1939. At GWU, she joined Pi Beta Phi Sorority, where she often entertained her sorority sisters and friends with her singing and piano playing. Her graduation ceremony was a memorable occasion held in the D.A.R. Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C. After graduating, she attended business schools in Washington, D.C. and in Orlando, Florida, where her sister, Marjorie Hitch Price, lived. She and a friend spent two summers in Putnam, Connecticut working as secretaries at the summer home of George Holt of Rollins College located in Winter Park, Florida. After her second summer in Connecticut, she moved to New York City and worked as a secretary at NBC in Rockefeller Center. She shared a Greenwich Village apartment with two sorority sisters, Janet Gray and Dottie Damphere. It was through Janet that Joyce met her future husband, Janet's brother, John Bradford Gray, who passed away in 2001. He was a chemist with American Cyanamid in Stamford, CT. Their dating life was full of fun in NYC, sailing on Long Island Sound and visiting John's parents in Katonah, NY. They were married in the old Methodist Church, Guymon, OK, on September 4, 1941. After they married, Joyce and John lived in Cos Cob, Connecticut where Bradford, their first child was born on the last day of 1942. In 1945 they moved to the Henry C. Hitch Ranch, where Joyce was born and where their second child, Christina, was born in 1946. They lived in the home they built on the ranch for the rest of their lives. Joyce was an active member of the Victory Memorial United Methodist Church in Guymon, where she sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, was a member of United Methodist Women, and served on many boards and committees. She was a member and past president of Chapter AM PEO, Pi Beta Phi Sorority, and the DAR. She had many close friends whom she loved and enjoyed. She was a loving mother and wonderful grandmother, often taking her grandchildren, when they were young, out for horseback rides or hikes in the hills on the ranch. Joyce had a lively mind and was always interested in others. She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry C. and Christine W. Hitch; husband, John; sister, Marjorie Hitch Price; brother, H.C. Hitch, Jr.; sister-in-law, Lala M. Hitch; and nephews, James C. Hitch, Paul H. Hitch, and Karick A. Price. Her family includes her son, Bradford Hitch Gray and daughter-in-law Helen Darling, Washington, DC; daughter, Christina Gray Staufenberger, and son-in-law, Dick Staufenberger, Bethesda, MD; four grandchildren, Hunter Herron, Drew Herron, Carrie Gray-Droste, and Joshua Gray; four great-grandchildren, Zayne Herron, Gracyn and Hudson Herron, and Simon Gray-Droste. Also, she loved, and was loved by, her four step-grandchildren, Laurie Staufenberger Parr, Kelly Staufenberger Casten, John Nail and Ann Nail Turner and ten step-great grandchildren, Brandon, Courtney and Dylan Parr; Casey, Carly and Cole Casten; Jack and Drew Nail; and Hallie and Eliza Turner. She also had many nieces and nephews who were very special to her. Memorial services will be conducted Wednesday morning, August 29th, 11:00 AM at Victory Memorial United Methodist Church, 523 N Roosevelt with Rev. Gary Holdeman, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Elmhurst Cemetery under the care of Henson-Novak Funeral Directors of Guymon. Friends may sign the online guest book and send condolences at www.hensonnovak.com. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Victory Memorial United Methodist Church, Guymon, Oklahoma and may be sent to Henson-Novak Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1306, Guymon, Oklahoma 73942.

Joyce married John Bradford Gray on 04 Sep 1941 in Stamford, CT.¹