Joyce Virginia Earl

Mrs. Joyce Virginia Earl of Atlanta, passed September 23, 2019.  Funeral service will be held on Friday, October 4, 2019 at Holsey Temple CME Church, 704 Charlotte Place, NW Atlanta, GA  30318, with Reverend Carlton Taylor, Senior Pastor, officiating.  Interment, Westview Cemetery.  The remains will be placed in state from 10 AM-11 AM with service immediately following.

Joyce was born on February 25, 1931 to the late Nearious Gilchrist Garrett and the late Ethel Virginia Gray Garrett in Atlanta, Georgia. After twelve years of being the only child, she later was blessed with a baby brother, Gilchrist Garrett.

On June 18, 1961 she married Charles Calvin Earl of Atlanta. To this union four children were born – Charles Jr., Virginia, Paul, and Micah. She was an inspiring, motivational, devoted, and loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and friend.

She was educated in the Atlanta school public school system, beginning at E. P. Johnson, then on to David T. Howard, and Booker T. Washington. At the age of 17 she enrolled at Paine College in Augusta, GA, and graduated four years later. Having a continual thirst for knowledge, she later attended, and received her Masters in Education from Indiana University.

Joyce started her professional career as a social worker but found her true calling as a public school teacher in the Atlanta Public School system. She joined the Atlanta Public Schools in 1952. Educating, mentoring, counseling, and inspiring hundreds of young minds in her classroom, was one of the great passions in her life. Her teaching career begin at Walker Street Elementary, from there she moved to Collier Heights Elementary, Burgess Middle School, and then King Middle School. And after 48 years of employment with the Atlanta Public School System, she decided to retire in 2000 and pursue other interests, chief among these was traveling, crafting, gardening and sewing. She would spend hours at a time researching, practicing, and perfecting her creative side.

She was a kind, generous, tower of strength, to her family, friends, church, and community. She worked untiringly in everything thing she did.

Throughout her life Joyce was a steadfast believer in Jesus Christ. Her words, and deeds testified to this. She was born and raised in Hosley Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal church, and enjoyed fellowship with church members, gaining the wisdom and love needed to meet all of life's treasures and challenges. She encouraged everyone around her to seek their path with God, whether through her infectious smile, a helping hand, or with the always constant phrase "Keep Hope Alive".

She leaves behind to mourn her passing a devoted family; son, Charles Calvin Earl, Jr.; daughter, Virginia Joyce Earl-Mirowski; son, Paul Garrett Earl; son, Micah Gilchrist Joseph Earl; brother, Gilchrist Garrett; grandson Christopher Earl; grandson, Azad Earl; granddaughter, Virika Earl; sister-in-law, Brenda Garrett; daughter-in-law, Gayatri Sethi; son-in-law, Joseph Mirowski; daughter-in-law, Teresa Ingram; cousin, Irma Goggins; cousin, Gwendolyn Flakes; cousin, Garfield Garrett; cousin, Emmanuel Garrett; niece Francine Earl-Wright; nephew, Shelley Earl; and a host of other cousins, nieces, and nephews