Wanda Joy Clark Gregory (Joy), 82, of Spokane, WA, passed away Jan. 6, 2023 with her daughters by her side.
Joy was born in Wheeler County, Texas on Sept. 15, 1940 to Richard and Charlotte (Wilson) Clark and grew up in the panhandle of Texas. She graduated from Perryton High School, where she was active in debate, played the clarinet and sang, and was a skilled majorette.
She married Ralph Gregory, Jr. in 1959, and soon thereafter, the couple embarked on an adventurous life together. They lived in Stillwater, OK, Albuquerque, NM, then Anchorage, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Eagle River, Alaska. Joy and Ralph raised their four daughters in Ketchikan.
During her time in Ketchikan, Joy worked with the State of Alaska as an employment specialist where she particularly enjoyed helping people find jobs. Joy ran the business office for Ralph’s architecture firm for many years.
She was involved with her church, the Church of the Nazarene. Education was also important to her, and she completed her bachelors’ degree in liberal arts at the University of Alaska Southeast/Ketchikan Community College in 1985.
Joy was always reading. She took art classes and enjoyed painting and drawing. She sewed clothing for herself and her daughters. She loved the outdoors and had many adventures in the Alaska wilderness.
When Ralph was mayor of Ketchikan (1984-1990) she helped with his duties and facilitated the sister city program with Kanayama, Japan. Later in life, while living in Spokane, Joy enjoyed family gatherings, coffee dates, and country drives with her children and grandchildren.
She is survived by her daughters, Paige Van Wie, Saree Gregory, Shanna Gregory, and Tabitha Gregory; grandchildren Josh Van Wie, Nate Ladd, Peter Van Wie, Jessica Ladd, Beth Van Wie, Jacob Timmons, and Will Timmons, and five great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husband Ralph, parents Richard and Charlotte Clark, and her sister Dolores.
There will be a celebration of life on Feb. 25 in Spokane, and a celebration of life and interment in Anchorage, Alaska on June 3. Joy will be laid to rest next to Ralph, at Anchorage Memorial Park, with a marker also placed at the family burial plot at Capital View Cemetery near Beaver, OK.