Joyce Crist, 98, of Boise passed away on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. She was born in Grangeville, Idaho to Roy and Meta Wisdom on January 11, 1925 – one of seven children. Joy, as she was known by her friends and family, grew up on the family ranch in Riggins, with the nearby Seven Devils mountains, the Salmon River, and many trails and creek beds as her back yard. These early years, in the wilds of a long-lost Idaho, informed the person Joy would become: fiercely independent, remarkably resourceful, and wonderfully big-hearted.
After graduating from Riggins High School in 1943, Joy moved to the big city of Boise, Idaho on her own. She took a job at the American Bell Telephone Company as a roller-skating telephone operator. After the war, Joy met her lifelong sweetheart, Marlin Crist at a motorcycle race, and they were married on June 27, 1948 in Boise. The couple welcomed their daughter Karen in 1952, and their son, David, in 1960 and enjoyed a close and joyful household on Sunset Ave. filled with dancing, badminton. and home-cooked meals. Joy was an accomplished cook, with an acumen for chocolate chip cookies, angel food cakes, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Christmas in the Crist household was a cherished memory for her family for many years. Joy was a lifelong reader who could recite her beloved poems into her 90s. She loved gardening, birds, and music – all markers of her formative life on the ranch. Most of all Joy loved her family, and to be loved by her was truly one of life’s gifts.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Meta Wisdom, her husband, Marlin Crist, her brothers, Robert and Paul Wisdom, and her great-granddaughter, Isabel. She is survived by her children, Karen (Ron) Folwell, and David (Vickie) Crist, her siblings, Daphne Garner, Harold Wisdom, Marlene Wisdom, and Betty Spickelmire, her grandchildren Byron (Melanie) Folwell, Zach (Amanda) Folwell, and Kari Ann Folwell-Emry, and her beloved great-grandchildren, Eleanora, Judah, Marlin, Trula, and Isaac.
Joy was loved dearly by her friends and family, who offer this writing with great admiration, even though she would find the attention completely embarrassing. We are deeply grateful to the staff of Truwood Assisted living and First Choice hospice, especially those who knew her and treated her with warmth and kindness every day.
A funeral will be held, 3:00 pm, Friday, May 19, 2023 at Bowman Funeral Parlor, 10254 W. Carlton Bay Dr., Garden City.
A private burial will be held at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery.
To watch the funeral service, please visit: https://vimeo.com/828080033?share=copy