Joyce D. Stephens
She was an avid reader and had a deep affection for pets.
Memorial services will be held at the Clyde W. Kraft Funeral Home, Inc., 519 Walnut St., Columbia, PA 17512 on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Laurel Hill Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.
Joyce D. Stephens, 79, of Hummelstown, passed away Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at M.S. Hershey Medical Center. She and her husband, John Stephens, had been married for 57 years. Born in Pittsburgh, she was the daughter of the late John William Snedden and Fern Williams Snedden.
Joyce graduated from Butler High School in 1965, and in 1969 earned a B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry from Elizabethtown College, followed by a 30-year career as an analytical chemist. In 1985 John's work assignment took them to Pau, France for nearly three years, where they enjoyed the challenge of living in and adapting to a new culture and language.
Joyce was a lifelong member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Chapter 45, in Butler. With her managerial experience, Joyce proactively mentored minorities she worked with, and aided and guided minority businesses. She was an avid reader and had a deep affection for pets. She also enjoyed gardening and knitting.
Joyce is survived by her husband, John; her brother, Dennis, and his wife, Helen Snedden; her sisters-in-law, Dayna and her husband, Steven Bryner, and Anne and her husband, Michael Helwig; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at the Clyde W. Kraft Funeral Home, Inc., 519 Walnut St., Columbia, PA 17512 on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Laurel Hill Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in Joyce's memory to be made to St. Judes Children's Research Hospital.
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