The Honorable Judge John Roy Joyce

Judge John Joyce, 74, was born December 25, 1942, and passed away May 5, 2017, peacefully at home surrounded by family and close friends. Visitation will be held at First United Methodist Church, 3900 Loop Road, Monroe, LA., on Monday, May 8, 2017, at 12:30 PM until service time, followed by the funeral service at 2:00 PM at First United Methodist Church, Monroe, LA with Reverends Lynn Malone and J. Roddy Taylor officiating. Burial will follow at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery, under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, Monroe, LA.

John served as a judge at the Fourth District Court for 20 years. John graduated from Neville High School in 1960. After high school, John attended Louisiana State University and then joined the United States Marine Corps from 1963-1967. He then attended Louisiana State University where he earned his Juris Doctorate in law in 1970. He returned to Monroe in 1970, and practiced law until he was elected Fourth District judge in 1976. He was the first Fourth District judge to have the honor as serving as the President of the Louisiana Judges Association. After retiring in 1996 from the bench, John continued to practice law in Monroe and served as an Ad Hoc judge.

He was preceded in death by his parents Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Joyce and his granddaughter, Katie Joyce. Survivors include his wife, Sharon Bass Joyce; children, Judge Jeff Joyce and wife Kathryn, Jennifer Reddaway and husband Mark, Sharon Vinyard and husband Hershel, Shannon Garrett Gannon and husband Shawn; grandchildren, Lillie Joyce, Mary Helen Reddaway, Sara Reid and Thomas Vinyard; Jordan and Jacob Roberts, Shelby and Gage Gannon; Sisters, Kay Joyce and Janis Price and husband Hugh; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.

All of those who ever came in contact with John “The Judge” can testify that he was a very compassionate, loving, tender hearted man. A man of strong faith and a deep love for his country. He had many loves first and foremost his family but the LSU Tigers came in a very close second. He loved every Thursday going to the Warehouse for Tiger Lunch bunch and Sunday sitting on the first pew of church singing the hymns.

Pallbearers, C.A. Lowe, Joey Grassi, Mario Leijo, Jordan Robert, Jacob Roberts, Thomas Vinyard, LaDarian Woods, Judge Fred Amman; Honorary Pallbearers: Bruce McKeithen, Larry Arbour, Tom Allen, Daniel Parker, Chet Harrod and All present and former colleagues of the Fourth District Court and His numerous hunting and fishing buddies.

In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Neuroscience Institute www.lebonheur.org direct gift to “Neuro” and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org/GiveThanks.

Online Registry/Condolences: www.mulhearnfuneralhome.com

Mulhearn Funeral Home
Sterlington Road
Monroe, LA