May 23, 1934 - December 30, 2016
Joyce Darlene Atkinson (Holt) (Age 82) - Joyce was born on May 23, 1934 in Moscow, Idaho to Edgar and Florence Holt. She died on December 30, 2016 in Spokane, Washington. She moved to Spokane as a child and was a lifetime resident. She graduated from North Central High School. She worked as a secretary in the Promotion and Research Department at the Spokesman Review, and as a legal secretary in various Spokane offices. She moved to Hayden Lake, Idaho in 1994. - She established and operated her own business (Hospitality Plus) focusing on meeting organization and management. She was proud of being an active volunteer with the Central Valley School District, having served on numerous district and statewide committees; Superintendant Search, Hazardous Walking Conditions, and the Education Task Force for Future Spokane. She was a two-term PTA Council President in the Central Valley School District and held numerous offices with Broadway Elementary and the North Pines Jr. High School PTA. - She was a Cub Scout den mother and a certified Pre-School Vision Screening trainer, received the Boy Scouts Webelo Badge and the Central Valley council PTAs Golden Acorn Award, as well as the Outstanding Service Award. - More than service awards or volunteer work over the years, mom was an extraordinary woman. She was always available for whatever her children needed, as well as whomever else was in need. We always had an extra person or two at the table for holiday meals, and our friends were frequently over to visit with her, even if we werent home; she welcomed everyone. She was a brilliant woman who was organized to a tee, a voracious reader of many varieties of literature, an encyclopedia of knowledge, kept an immaculate home and gave gifts that were so beautifully wrapped that some recipients left them wrapped just to marvel at them for a bit longer. Her laughter and presence will forever be remembered. She was a wonderful mother and friend whom will by missed so very much. We are all heartbroken, yet thankful for all of the great memories she left us with, and for the love she shared. - Joyce is preceded in death by her eldest son Randy Smith, her brother James Holt, as well as her parents. Survived by her half-sister Linda Zeckzer (Michael), three children; Terry ODell (Danny), Janis Moore (Randy), and Douglas Atkinson (Chris), her five grandchildren; Chari Curtis (Chad), Adam Henke, Arica, Wesley and Wyatt (Katie) ODell, and her six great-grandchildren: Brody, Bindi. McKell, Carson, Abby and Halle, and numerous nieces and nephews. - A celebration of her life will occur in the spring. Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Aids Network at 905 S. Monroe St., Spokane, WA 99204.
