November 2, 1957 - May 12, 2024
Joy Ellen Letlow of Oceanside passed away on May 12, 2024, from lung cancer. Her death was unexpected and has deeply saddened her family.
Joy was born at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital on November 2, 1957, to Dale and Alice Peters (Dale being a US Marine). She spent most of her childhood and younger life between Northern California and Camp Pendleton/Oceanside, California. Her one big dream was to be married and be a mom. She lived in Stockton California with her growing family- having raised 5 children (Amanda, Daniel, Joseph, Nicholas, and William). She took some time once they were older and completed her associate degree at San Joaquin Delta College and transferred to CSU Stanislaus to pursue becoming a teacher. Her plans for her education changed when her health began to turn. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2006. After dealing with complications from the Crohn’s in 2009 and 2010, she moved to Oceanside, California to live with her daughter Amanda. Her health remained stable for many years until 2024, when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She passed away at Tri City Medical on May 12, 2024, due to the fast progression of the lung cancer.
Joy dedicated her life to her children. She absolutely loved being a mom and she was the very best at it. She showed her love in her actions, always putting her children’s needs before her own. She loved her grandbabies and cherished all the moments spent with them. She was a great friend to many as well. She had no problem saying hi to neighbors, or even strangers in public. She had a wonderful and friendly personality, and even better sense of humor. She had a knack for cooking and baking, throwing together ingredients that just worked well. Her food was always delicious. Learning how to cook from her was a blessing and a challenge for her kids- she never wrote down her recipes! She loved our country and was very proud of her family for being in the military (father, father-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, nieces, and sons). She loved God and was a faithful Christian. With her sister’s help, she became a baptized Catholic right before her passing, fulfilling one of her wishes.
She is preceded in death by her parents, sisters Myra Martinez, Jean Holstein, and nephew Robert Beer.
She is survived by her sisters Lela Beer, Suzan McGrath, brother Loren Peters, daughter Amanda Letlow, sons Daniel Letlow, Joseph Letlow, Nicholas Letlow, and William Letlow. She is also survived by her grandchildren Ace (Letlow) Garibaldi, Holden Letlow, Charlotte Letlow, Liam Letlow, Graham Letlow, and Calvin Letlow. She is survived by many nieces and nephews as well.
Memorial Contributions may be made to:
https://www.givesendgo.com/joy_memorial
SERVICE
A service will be held at 10:00am on Friday, May 24th, 2024 at the Evergreen Chapel at Cherokee Memorial Park, located off of Highway 99 at Harney Lane, Lodi CA.
Please leave your condolences below.
Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Letlow family.