Joyce Kay DeGraff

Joyce Kay Huff was born in Wendell Idaho on December the 26th 1944 to Elmer and Eleanor Huff. She passed away at the hospital in Meridian Idaho on December 26th 2024 on her 80th birthday from complications diabetes and Dementia. She was a long-time resident of Payette.

In her early years she lived with her family in Detrich Idaho where dad worked for the canal company. In the spring of 1946, the family moved to Fruitland Idaho and dad and mom started picking fruit because there was work and so many orchards there and the winter months were warmer. There dad got acquainted with some Gurnsey dairymen and worked for them and after a couple years the family moved to the Walker LaCrone dairy farm in New Plymouth where dad was employed.

Her life on the farm started a lifelong love for Gurnsey dairy cattle. In 1950 dad formed a partnership with a friend and they purchased some registered Guernsey cattle and bought a 40-acre dairy farm north west of New Plymouth.

In many ways the early years on the farm influenced her life. Everyone on the dairy had chores to do based on their age. As she got older, the children were given more responsibilities. The dairy farm was truly a team effort. She enjoyed the times that the family showing the guernseys at the county fair. She was proud of the trophies that were won at the fair. She could show a cow as good or better than the boys. It was a hard time for families and dairymen to make a living in those years, but the family made it work for about 13 years.

She was raised in New Plymouth and attended High school there until 1963. She loved her Home Economics class and became an accomplished seamstress and loved to make beautiful clothing. She also had a beautiful soprano singing voice and sang high school choir or Glee club.

In 1963 she married Merle Fulton and their daughter Shannon was born. In 1965 their family moved to Salem Oregon for a year and then back to New Plymouth. She later married and lived in Fruitland and had 4 more children, Jeffery, Kevin, Rusty and Karlin. In August of 1975 she married Glen Anderson and moved to his farm where they began to raise their family south east of Payette. She later

moved off the farm with the children to a home on center street and they lived there until they finished high school.

Over the years she lived in several homes in Payette. One day she caught the spirit of Genealogy work and started searching out her family history on the paternal and maternal sides. She worked on this extensively for 15 years and has documented family ancestors reaching back for centuries, as well as extended family ancestors. Along with that came many life stories from those she searched for. She loved the work she did with genealogy and it helped her to start to make significant changes in her life.

Over these years she also became really good at refurbishing old furniture and making things to sell. She was very creative at making flower arrangements and enjoyed decorating the church buildings and table settings for special occasions. For a short time, she worked at the floral department at the Red Apple grocery in Ontario. Where ever she lived she always had her homes decorated so they looked nice and were and extension of her creativity. Some of her favorite places to visit were antique shops, the Deseret Industries and Idaho Youth Ranch. Every year, Joyce would have 2-yard sales. Many women in the community were always excited for these events Joyce allowed everyone to sell items in her yard sale from antiques to crafts. She made many lifelong friends.

Ten years ago, she married Bruce DeGraff in Payette and they lived there in the house on 2nd avenue east until a few weeks ago when they moved to a smaller home just before she passed away. She was a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and enjoyed helping out with decorating the church building for Ward parties or special celebrations. She was firm in her testimony of the restoration of the true gospel of Jesus Christ and that he was her savior and redeemer.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Elenor Huff and her brothers, Leray, Leroy, Dennis, Gary, her son Kevin and a grandson Brennen Bedke. She is survived by her husband Bruce, her sister Arlene and John Bartlett, her brother Elroy and Edith Huff, and 4 of her children, Shannon and Dale Felsted, Jeffrey and Gina Anderson, Rusty and Ofilia Anderson, Karlin and Kandi Anderson. She had 9 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.