Joyce Lou Nipper Barrett

Joyce Lou Nipper Barrett passed away peacefully with family, friends and her minister at her side at Candler Hospital on Monday, October 1, 2012. A Houston County native, Joyce was born on February 7th, 1932 and was the last surviving child of the late Charles Cleveland Nipper and Eunice Florence Musselwhite Nipper. Both the Nippers and Musselwhites were of Scottish descent, and members of each family were some of the first settlers of middle Georgia, having received lottery land grants in the Pulaski County area dating back into the early 1800’s. Joyce was a direct descendant of veterans of the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, and the War Between the States. Joyce grew up in the rural community of Clinchfield, Georgia, where she married John F. Barrett, a decorated WWII veteran. The Barrett’s resided in Perry, Georgia and enjoyed 49 years together until his death in 1998. Joyce then moved to Savannah where she spent the rest of her life. Joyce was known for her talents as a great cook and shared those skills up until the last few weeks of her life; she was known for her generosity to her neighbors, the sick, and shut-ins in Savannah, where she would show up with an armful of fresh vegetables, fried chicken, and biscuits. Each Christmas her baskets of homemade southern jams, jellies, and preserves were sought after as special and personal gifts. One of her other passions was fishing; people in three counties could attest to her skills of the freshwater sport. One of her former ministers joked from the pulpit one Sunday that “Joyce Barrett told me the other day that when she died, she wanted to be buried with her favorite rod and reel so that when she crossed the River Jordan she could see how many fish she could catch”. She was also an avid reader and could finish a novel in one day’s time. Her friends and family admired her for her strength and no-nonsense approach to life, and loved being around her due to her quick wit and good humor. When asked what her best accomplishments were in life, she would quickly and emphatically state that it was her two children. Joyce was a member of Crossroads Methodist Church in Perry, and over the years served as a Cub Scout Den Mother, 4-H Adult Volunteer, and taught Sunday School and Bible School at Clinchfield Presbyterian Church. Besides her husband and parents, Joyce was preceded in death by her brothers WWII veteran Staff Sgt. William Columbus (Buddy) Nipper, and Charles Dewey (Beau) Nipper , and sisters Agnes Victoria Nipper, Evelyn Dorothy (Sister) Nipper, Hazel Grace McIntyre Lytle and Shirley Beatrice (Bea) Butler. She is survived by loving daughter Linda Faye Barrett Collier (Ronald) of Perry, devoted son Johnathon Scott Barrett of Savannah, grandson Ronald Jason Collier (Caroline Grimaldi) and their children Elodie Gabrielle Collier and Thomas David Collier of Milledgeville, nephew Charles Nipper of Dublin, and nieces Andrea McIntyre Tucker of Lake Sinclair, and Linda Michelle Barnwell of Warner Robins, dear friend Thomas Eugene White of Savannah, along with a host of other relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that, due to Joyce’s passion for helping feed those in need, donations be made to the St. Paul’s Food Pantry c/o St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1802 Abercorn St., Savannah, GA 31401, or to Loaves and Fishes c/o Perry United Methodist Church, 733 Carroll St., Perry, GA 31069. Services for Joyce will be held both in Savannah and Perry. A memorial Mass will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Saturday October 6th at 4 pm with a reception being held immediately following at Joyce’s home at 102 East 45th St., Savannah; there will also be visitation at Watson-Hunt Funeral Home, 1208 Main St., Perry, at 2 pm on Friday, October 12th, with graveside services following Woodlawn Cemetery. Officiating will be The Very Reverend Dr. William Willoughby III.

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Joyce Lou Nipper Barrett

February 7, 1932 - October 1, 2012