James Winfield Joyner

RICHMOND, Ind. - James Winfield Joyner, age 92, of Richmond, Indiana, died Sunday, March 19, 2017, at Friends Fellowship Community. Jim was born February 13, 1925, in Kokomo, Indiana, the second of Mildred and Cebren Joyner’s five children. The family later moved to Azalia, in Bartholomew County. Then 14, he and his younger brothers ran the family farm during World War II because their father, a teacher, had to remain in Kokomo as part of the war effort. Jim graduated from Columbus (Indiana) High School in 1943 and served in the South Pacific with the Seabees until 1945. He then entered Earlham College, graduating in 1950 in the same class with his sister Esther and brother Orville. He earned his master’s in biology from Earlham with a study of the earthworms of Indiana. His children remember collecting trips with him while they were very young, and that stopping by the side of the road to dig up worms and put them in formaldehyde was the most natural thing in the world. After a few years of work at Earlham Farms, Jim taught for 30 years in Richmond Community Schools, starting in 1958 as a science teacher at Pleasant View Junior High. From 1964 till 1988, he taught biology at Richmond High School. His students will remember his classroom filled with live and stuffed animals, including Flower the skunk, and his annual Advanced Biology field trips to the Ozarks in southern Missouri. During one of these field trips, he was bitten by the Pygmy Rattlesnake that he had caught, put in a pillowcase, and stashed under his seat. This exemplifies his close connection with the natural world and his joy in sharing it with others. And that sometimes his plans were driven more by enthusiasm than sober consideration. Jim involved himself deeply in the lives of his children and many others, connecting with them through work on the farm or volunteering to help them move, paint houses, take care of grandchildren, and more. He also cooked up schemes that resulted in great adventures, like being the only adult taking a pack of 8 cousins on a spelunking trip to southern Indiana, the family road trip to Guatemala in 1969, or flying down to Florida for a weekend to fix Louis’ car. Jim loved biology and the natural world, and was a longtime board member of SPUR and the Indiana Nature Conservancy. Jim married Lois Ann Lumpkin in 1951. They moved from Richmond to a farm near Centerville in 1963, where Jim farmed, in addition to his teaching. With Lois, he had three children, Kathryn Joyner, Louis Joyner, and Elizabeth (Glenn) Heston. Lois died in 1972. In 1974, he married Kathryn Steinhauer Bortner, who died in 1989. During Kathy’s life, they split their time between his farm in Centerville and Kathy’s in Hollansburg, Ohio. Kathy’s three children, Nancy Bortner, Carolyn Hile, and Tobin Bortner then became part of his life. In 1992, Jim married Betty Marie Neal. In their retirement, they split their time between Richmond; Fountain Hills, Arizona; and Betty’s beloved cottage in Michigan. They enjoyed gardening and spending time with their extensive family. Betty’s six children, Sydney (George) Bridges, Tom (Karen) Neal, Nancy Neal, Pat Neal, Tim (Kathleen) Neal, and Jennifer Gray doubled the number of children who came under Jim’s wing. Jim is survived by a sprawling family that includes his wife, Betty; three children; nine step-children; 22 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren. Jim was preceded in death by his wives, Lois Lumpkin Joyner and Kathy Bortner Joyner; parents, Mildred and Cebren Joyner; and siblings, Sarah Rogers, Orville Joyner, Esther Myers, and David Joyner. Jim’s family wishes to thank the staff of Friends Fellowship Community and Reid Hospice for their loving care and support. A memorial service will be held in the Community Room at Friends Fellowship Community, 2030 Chester Boulevard, Richmond at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 26, 2017. Arrangements are being handled by Doan & Mills Funeral Home, 790 National Road West, Richmond. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Cope Environmental Center, 4910 Shoemaker Road, Centerville, IN 47330. Condolences may be sent to the family via the guest book at www.doanmillsfuneralhome.com.

James Winfield Joyner

February 13, 1925 - March 19, 2017