Joy Wicks

Joy Virginia (Reeder) Wicks 93 of Lewistown passed peacefully away on Monday afternoon, June 17^th, 2019 at Valle Vista Manor of natural causes. Joy was born in Miles City, Montana on September 21, 1925 the only child to J. V. and Rosella (Sommerville) Reeder. They moved to Roundup and lived until her sophomore year in high school when they moved to Lewistown. She was active in band, math and science clubs, she also taught many of her fellow students how to jitterbug. She graduated from Fergus High School in 1943 and then on to Montana State University in Bozeman. In college Joy was in the Sigma Phi Sorority and graduated with a teaching certificate in Math and Art. She was united in marriage to Joe C. Wicks in 1947 in Lewistown and they moved to Lancaster, PA. They returned to Lewistown in 1950 to help Joe's dad on the ranch. They built their home on the homestead at the base of the South Moccasin Mountains. They built their house from a one room bunkhouse adding on as needed. They had 3 children, Jon, Jim and Jan all of which made their families in the Lewistown area as well.

Joy loved music and dancing, playing many instruments in the school marching bands, but loved the piano. She could take any song and play it with a ragtime or boogie beat. Music continued to play an important part in her life. She was in a Sweet Adeline's group that traveled to many regional competitions, Choir director for the First Presbyterian Church, organizer of the Willing Vessels which sang weekly at the nursing homes, instigator of the Christmas Cantata and director/writer/actor/set designer of many skit night, follies and Judith Mountain Player productions.

Joy taught throughout the Lewistown area until the 1970's. Even outdoor painting classes up Maiden one summer. In 1971 she was picked to be one of 2 Fergus County representatives to the Extension Service's KEEP Program, which led her to spend a month traveling to Ethiopia, Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia. She was elected and served on Lewistown School Board 1978 to 1984 and the Fergus County planning board in the 1990's. She was active in many causes, was instrumental in setting up the adult education classes helping many to receive their GEDs.   She started the local Crisis Center and organized the hotline in the 1970's. This led to many state board positions in the Montana Mental Health Association spanning 3 decades. Joy was active in PEO, Bridge Club, Delta Kappa Gamma, Sweet Adeline's, the Willing Vessels, South Moccasin Community Club, Judith Mountain Players and the First Presbyterian Church. She was a lady of great faith, through the Willing Vessels Joy saw a need for a free community Thanksgiving dinner. Joy believed in putting out the signs and people would come to assist and to give. She always said to just trust and believe in people and it'd come together and it did for 17 years.

She liked math and sciences and enjoyed learning new things, in 1975 Joy brought home one of the first computers, a 28k Tandy, most people thought she was crazy and it would never catch on, but she was certain it was the way of the future and she was right. She was a rock hound and enjoyed looking for different fossils and arrowheads. Geology, Paleontology and Archeology were lifelong interests.

She is survived by one son Jim (Mary) Wicks; one daughter Jan (Rick) Waltenbaugh both of Lewistown; grandchildren Lori (Rick) Martin, Jack (Mary) Wicks, Ethan & Jamie Waltenbaugh; great grandchildren Berkanna Wicks, Summer & Clayton Elmore; great-great grandchildren Milo, Rhett & Cade.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years in 2006, her son Jon and daughter-in-law Sandy both in 2018.

Memorial Services for Joy (Reeder) Wicks will be Saturday, July 13^th, 2019 at 11:00 am in the First Presbyterian Church, cremation has taken place. The Cloyd Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Friends are asked to make memorials to Hospice of Central Montana, the First Presbyterian Church or the charity of their choice and they may be left with the Cloyd Funeral Home. Condolences for the family may be posted online at www.cloydfuneralhome.com.