Carol Joyce Hostutler

Carol "Joy" Miller was born in 1934 in Haddonfield, NJ, to Mabel and Norman Miller. She was the fourth of five girls, which gave her a good sense of humor and an enthusiasm for teamwork. This blossomed in Girl Scouts, her many deep friendships, and a vibrant life at church and school, and it rang throughout the home she created for her husband and daughters. She was a great lover of life who woke with a prayer and then hit the ground running.

As a child Joy moved with her family to Melrose Avenue in Westmont, NJ. In 1952, she graduated from Collingswood High School, where she was a drum majorette and a member of the Bachelor Girls Society (BGS). After graduation, she worked for William S. Holmes (Camden) and was executive secretary for The Delaware Fund (Philadelphia). In 1956, despite her membership in the BGS, she met the love of her life on a blind date, and within months Joy and Bob walked down the aisle. They raised three daughters in Coatesville, PA, Bob's hometown. Close to their extended families, they hosted many birthday and holiday parties.

Joy relished being a wife and mother and the organization and creativity this entailed. She cooked, baked, made clothes, cleaned, and decorated with gusto, raising her children and grandchildren to love learning of all kinds. She brought her secretarial skills to local schools and ended her career as the principal's administrative assistant at Coatesville Area Senior High School. Joy taught herself to paint and to speak German. She and Bob traveled to Switzerland to visit friends and tour Europe. They enjoyed trips to Hawaii and Canada, and journeyed down the California coastline. They wintered in Florida, where they formed enduring friendships. In their retirement, they moved to New Hampshire to be close to family and were regulars at Concord baseball and softball games, soccer matches, swim meets and school concerts.

Joy woke up grateful each day. She had an easy laugh and her smile was contagious, even when she was winning at bumper pool, croquet, or Spite and Malice. Her last years were challenging due to a neurodegenerative disease, but she tackled it with her "can do" attitude. She defied odds with the help of her daughters, the support of her wonderful healthcare team, and the unwavering devotion of her husband, who busted her out of a nursing facility and cared for her at home the last years of her life.

Joy will be missed deeply, especially at Christmas, a holiday she adored. She was a woman of great faith who believed in a life after this one and the reunion of saints, which sustained her as she took such a long, arduous walk to the end of her days. All those who loved her so dearly can envision her brightening another place, surrounded by the family and friends who went before her.

She is survived by her husband, Robert C. Hostutler, their daughters Barbara Hamilton (Ernest), Carol Hostutler (Samantha), and Elizabeth Muzzey (Worthen) and three grandchildren Will, Stephen, and Katherine. Earlier this year, she was thrilled by the birth of Helen Joyce, her first great-grandchild, to Will and his wife Vicki. She was preceded in death by her parents and sisters Peggy and Rae, and is survived by her sisters Nancy and Jean, and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Joy's life will be held in August. In lieu of flowers, please donate to West Congregational Church, 499 North State Street., Concord, NH, 03301, https://www.westcongr.org/online-giving