Obituary

Joyce Keyser

Joyce Emmogene Keyser (Cravey), a long-time resident of Mason County, passed away in her home on Thursday, February 19, 2015. She was 78 years old.

Joyce was born in Waring, Texas on November 1, 1936 the youngest of 11 children to William and Elizabeth (Potschernick) Cravey. She is survived by her children Donna Yarborough (husband Jimmy) of Fredericksburg, Lyla Crouch (husband Jerry) of Mason, and Haden Keyser (wife Kim) of Brady; four grandchildren Kara Hollingshead (husband Talor), Kegan Crouch (wife Cassi), Raylee and Rhett Keyser; four great grandchildren Braden and Michael Hollingshead, and McKinley and Camdyn Crouch; a brother Ben Cravey of Boerne and a sister Mary Ann Plumstead (husband Art) of San Antonio. Joyce was preceded in death by her first husband Ray Keyser in 1997 and her second husband Daniel Enriquez in 2012. Joyce was a cancer survivor who continued to fight diligently yet silently for her health. She had a joyful spirit and you would often hear her loveable "Cravey cackle."

At a very young age, Joyce was expected to help with the never ending work on the family farm, including milking seventeen cows by hand. She attended school in Waring and graduated from Comfort High School in 1954 when she was just 17. A week later she met her first husband, Ray Keyser, a rancher from Loyal Valley, on a blind date in Kerrville. They were married on September 1, 1955 in Comfort, Texas; Joyce knew he loved her because he gave up the first day of dove hunting to get married. As a young wife she took great pride in being able to do everything that needed to be done on the ranch – to her, there was no "men's work" or "women's work" – she did everything from mending clothes to canning homegrown food to marking and spraying livestock. When their daughters were young, they played in the bed of the pickup while she and Ray tended to the ranch. They enjoyed many hunting trips in Colorado. Joyce gave birth to her son when she was 43 years old and moved him to Mason after she and Ray were divorced in 1983. Joyce continued to care for Ray after his diagnosis of lung cancer until his death in 1997. Joyce bought a parcel of land outside of Mason along with a hog operation to support her and son after the divorce. Although the hogs are long gone, there have been many animals on her place ever since. For a short time she lived at the YO ranch with her second husband Danny, and they supported each other through their aging years.

Joyce was never interested in retiring and she loved to keep busy. Her resume was as diverse as they come; Joyce had experience in everything from candling eggs, telephone operator, cooking for numerous restaurants, assisting the elderly, co-owning a department store, working with the highway department, delivering the mail, driving the school bus and countless other occupations. When she wasn't working one of the several jobs she held at any given time, you could find her tending to her garden, crocheting, bottle feeding an orphaned animal, reading a book, helping out at the ranch, or visiting with her great grandchildren. She could make anything grow and thrive, whether it was a lamb or a plant. She was very resourceful and prided herself in the ability to reuse and recycle. Joyce liked to be useful; she went above and beyond when lending a hand to her community and her family. She is famous around town for her delicious pies which she would bake for various fundraisers and events for the community of Mason.

Friends are invited to join the family in a celebration of life on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at 11am at the First Baptist Church in Mason. Memorial gifts may be made to the Mason County Cancer Benefit Fund or a charity of your choosing.