TRAPHILL - Mrs. Joyce Elizabeth Mayberry Billings, age 96, of Traphill, widow of Lonnie Grant Billings, passed away peacefully Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at her home. Funeral services will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 11, 2010 at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church with Rev. Mace Johnson and Rev. Mike Caldwell officiating. The body will be placed in the church at 1:30. Burial will be in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. Friday evening, at Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home. Mrs. Billings was born June 28, 1914 in Wilkes County to the late William Jones and Josie Sparks Mayberry. In her early years she worked at the Wilkes Hosiery Mill, where she was an instructor for knitters. After her marriage in 1940, she was a homemaker who enjoyed preparing delicious nutritious meals from scratch for her family. She was an avid gardener and enjoyed working with her flowers. Her hobbies included collecting data on the Mayberry family genealogy, along with canning, sewing and knitting. She was an active member of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, performing duties as a deacon's wife and singing in the church choir. She was a charter member of the Mount Pisgah Baptist Women. She was preceded in death by six siblings; Roxie Chambers, Corda Ellis, Maude Blevins, Clarence Mayberry, Paul Mayberry and Clay Mayberry. She is survived by: two children, Sue Billings Cooke and husband, Ralph of Mt. Airy, James Oscar Billings and wife, Lois of Traphill; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Verna C. Mayberry of Traphill; several nieces, nephews and her dog "Lucy." Pallbearers will be: Michael Ellis, Scott Peterson, Matthew Ellis, Willard Billings, Darrell Sparks and Mike Miles. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association , 222 S. Church Street, Suite 303, Charlotte, NC 28202 or to the American Cancer Society , 810 Fairgrove Church Road, Conover, NC 28613. The family would like to thank Sherry for all her hours of dedication, love and support.

Published in Winston-Salem Journal on December 10, 2010