Joyce “Josie” Ovesny
Joyce J. Ovesny, age 88, of Dickinson, Texas, passed away on December 4, 2025. Born on November 28, 1937, near Eagle Lake in Colorado County to Oswald E. Hoffman and Pauline Alice Marie Frye Hoffman.
Joyce attended school in Columbus, Texas, and later earned her GED from College of the Mainland after a 16-year break from school. On December 24, 1955, she married Julius A. Ovesny, Jr. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, where she was a member. They moved to Dickinson and then Texas City, actively participating as members at Memorial Lutheran Church. She and Julius shared a love of dancing and traveling across the United States.
After moving back to Dickinson, Joyce and Julius adopted their son, David D. Ovesny, in 1962, their daughter, Rhonda R. Ovesny, in 1964, and welcomed their son, Mark V. Ovesny, in 1971.
Throughout her career, Joyce worked at JC Penny, Medicine Man in Dickinson, McCoy’s in Webster, and later for NASA subcontractors Philco Ford, Ford Aerospace, Loral, and Lockheed Martin. She retired in 1992 after 17 years of dedicated service to the NASA community, never missing a single day of work.
Joyce was first and foremost a loving wife and mother. She was deeply committed to her church, teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir, serving as President of the Woman of Faith Bereavement Committee for 16 years, and participating in the Altar Guild and planning committee. She also helped organize annual craft sales and supported her church family in countless ways.
Her dedication extended to the Dickinson School District, where she served on the PTA, acted as a room mother, and assisted with bus duty. Joyce was active in the Monsanto Chaparral Club, organizing fashion shows and annual Easter Egg hunts for hundreds of children.
Joyce was known for her generosity, warmth, and boundless energy. She always found time to cook, serve others, and welcome everyone she met. A country girl at heart, she lived in Dickinson for over 60 years, helping to build the family home with plans she designed herself. Like her father, she was a “Jack of All Trades,” always willing to try her hand at new challenges.
Everyone said she talked too loudly, but she said that way everyone heard and couldn’t say they didn’t know what she thought.
She leaves behind a legacy of love, service, and community. She was preceded in death by her parents, six of her seven siblings, her husband of over 56 years of marriage, and her daughter Rhonda. She is survived by her son David and his wife Paula, and her son Mark and his wife Trish, and six grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
A funeral service pending .
