Joyce Virginia Jefferson was an actor in 65 plays, directed 12, and spawned or supported theater groups in Texas, and beyond. In San Antonio, she appeared at the Chapparal Acting Company at Lackland AFB, Fort Sam Houston Playhouse, and Southwest Research Institute among others. She was Agnes in A DELICATE BALANCE; Rose in GOD'S FAVORITE; Viney in A MIRACLE WORKER; Grace in NEVER TOO LATE; Carrie in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL. Each of those titles, whether by fate or divine design, captured an essential aspect of a remarkable woman. As Shakespeare said, ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE.
ACT 1: Milwaukee, 1934, the Great Depression. Joyce Virginia Olivier lived in a small home with few beds housing eight children. The Catholic Church and the public dole stepped in when food and electricity were scarce. To make ends meet, Joyce helped her mother clean Milwaukee's Aberdeen Hotel. In Milwaukee's vibrant culture, Joyce met Louis Armstrong, dated Al Jarreau's brother, taught herself the piano, and honed her theatrical talents. All the while her family, poor but happy and resilient, leaned on each other.
ACT 2: Summer in Milwaukee. At a public pool where African Americans were permitted to swim, Joyce met Bill Jefferson, a high school athlete with a kind heart and a warm smile. Bill and Joyce married in 1954, leaving their Milwaukee home and touring the country with the United States Air Force.
ACT3: The 1950s through the turbulent 60s. Bill and Joyce added to the Jefferson cast of players from 1955 through 1964 - Roxanne, Darrell, Lamont, Celeste, Wallace and Leah. Joyce's children became her muses. She learned her lines with them, they learned the beauty of English and the power of passion through her. Among Bill and Joyce's children were an engineer, a Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, lawyers, a firefighter, a banker, a devoted mother - all acolytes of their loving parents.
ACT4: San Antonio (1967), the final starting point for Joyce's remaining years. She and Bill nurtured their six children, whose friends, together with Joyce's extended family, would for decades receive handwritten birthday and anniversary wishes, congratulatory notes and condolences. Joyce recorded those dates with meticulous hand-written entries on calendars she hung on her kitchen wall, color-coded for the occasion. And she relished the expressions of joy when she handed out iconic two-dollar "Jefferson" bills to children of all ages, whether she knew them or not. Her smile was even bigger than theirs. Joyce worked, played, acted, gambled, and entertained friends and family with her delightfully irreverent humor. When Joyce successfully auditioned for a new role (as "Granny") in her grandchildren's lives, she became an anchor of love for future generations.
Though she mourned the deaths of Celeste and Bill, she knew she would soon join them in her next act. Joyce's last lines were all about appreciation and gratitude for her life and her family. THE DIRECTOR lowered the curtain on Joyce's final TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL on November 10, 2019. She received an awesome ovation.
ACT 1: Milwaukee, 1934, the Great Depression. Joyce Virginia Olivier lived in a small home with few beds housing eight children. The Catholic Church and the public dole stepped in when food and electricity were scarce. To make ends meet, Joyce helped her mother clean Milwaukee's Aberdeen Hotel. In Milwaukee's vibrant culture, Joyce met Louis Armstrong, dated Al Jarreau's brother, taught herself the piano, and honed her theatrical talents. All the while her family, poor but happy and resilient, leaned on each other.
ACT 2: Summer in Milwaukee. At a public pool where African Americans were permitted to swim, Joyce met Bill Jefferson, a high school athlete with a kind heart and a warm smile. Bill and Joyce married in 1954, leaving their Milwaukee home and touring the country with the United States Air Force.
ACT3: The 1950s through the turbulent 60s. Bill and Joyce added to the Jefferson cast of players from 1955 through 1964 - Roxanne, Darrell, Lamont, Celeste, Wallace and Leah. Joyce's children became her muses. She learned her lines with them, they learned the beauty of English and the power of passion through her. Among Bill and Joyce's children were an engineer, a Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, lawyers, a firefighter, a banker, a devoted mother - all acolytes of their loving parents.
ACT4: San Antonio (1967), the final starting point for Joyce's remaining years. She and Bill nurtured their six children, whose friends, together with Joyce's extended family, would for decades receive handwritten birthday and anniversary wishes, congratulatory notes and condolences. Joyce recorded those dates with meticulous hand-written entries on calendars she hung on her kitchen wall, color-coded for the occasion. And she relished the expressions of joy when she handed out iconic two-dollar "Jefferson" bills to children of all ages, whether she knew them or not. Her smile was even bigger than theirs. Joyce worked, played, acted, gambled, and entertained friends and family with her delightfully irreverent humor. When Joyce successfully auditioned for a new role (as "Granny") in her grandchildren's lives, she became an anchor of love for future generations.
Though she mourned the deaths of Celeste and Bill, she knew she would soon join them in her next act. Joyce's last lines were all about appreciation and gratitude for her life and her family. THE DIRECTOR lowered the curtain on Joyce's final TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL on November 10, 2019. She received an awesome ovation.
Joyce Virginia Jefferson was an actor in 65 plays, directed 12, and spawned or supported theater groups in Texas, and beyond. In San Antonio, she appeared at the Chapparal Acting Company at Lackland AFB, Fort Sam Houston Playhouse, and Southwest Research Institute among others. She was Agnes in A DELICATE BALANCE; Rose in GOD'S FAVORITE; Viney in A MIRACLE WORKER; Grace in NEVER TOO LATE; Carrie in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL. Each of those titles, whether by fate or divine design, captured an essential aspect of a remarkable woman. As Shakespeare said, ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE.
ACT 1: Milwaukee, 1934, the Great Depression. Joyce Virginia Olivier lived in a small home with few beds housing eight children. The Catholic Church and the public dole stepped in when food and electricity were scarce. To make ends meet, Joyce helped her mother clean Milwaukee's Aberdeen Hotel. In Milwaukee's vibrant culture, Joyce met Louis Armstrong, dated Al Jarreau's brother, taught herself the piano, and honed her theatrical talents. All the while her family, poor but happy and resilient, leaned on each other.
ACT 2: Summer in Milwaukee. At a public pool where African Americans were permitted to swim, Joyce met Bill Jefferson, a high school athlete with a kind heart and a warm smile. Bill and Joyce married in 1954, leaving their Milwaukee home and touring the country with the United States Air Force.
ACT3: The 1950s through the turbulent 60s. Bill and Joyce added to the Jefferson cast of players from 1955 through 1964 - Roxanne, Darrell, Lamont, Celeste, Wallace and Leah. Joyce's children became her muses. She learned her lines with them, they learned the beauty of English and the power of passion through her. Among Bill and Joyce's children were an engineer, a Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, lawyers, a firefighter, a banker, a devoted mother - all acolytes of their loving parents.
ACT4: San Antonio (1967), the final starting point for Joyce's remaining years. She and Bill nurtured their six children, whose friends, together with Joyce's extended family, would for decades receive handwritten birthday and anniversary wishes, congratulatory notes and condolences. Joyce recorded those dates with meticulous hand-written entries on calendars she hung on her kitchen wall, color-coded for the occasion. And she relished the expressions of joy when she handed out iconic two-dollar "Jefferson" bills to children of all ages, whether she knew them or not. Her smile was even bigger than theirs. Joyce worked, played, acted, gambled, and entertained friends and family with her delightfully irreverent humor. When Joyce successfully auditioned for a new role (as "Granny") in her grandchildren's lives, she became an anchor of love for future generations.
Though she mourned the deaths of Celeste and Bill, she knew she would soon join them in her next act. Joyce's last lines were all about appreciation and gratitude for her life and her family. THE DIRECTOR lowered the curtain on Joyce's final TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL on November 10, 2019. She received an awesome ovation.
ACT 1: Milwaukee, 1934, the Great Depression. Joyce Virginia Olivier lived in a small home with few beds housing eight children. The Catholic Church and the public dole stepped in when food and electricity were scarce. To make ends meet, Joyce helped her mother clean Milwaukee's Aberdeen Hotel. In Milwaukee's vibrant culture, Joyce met Louis Armstrong, dated Al Jarreau's brother, taught herself the piano, and honed her theatrical talents. All the while her family, poor but happy and resilient, leaned on each other.
ACT 2: Summer in Milwaukee. At a public pool where African Americans were permitted to swim, Joyce met Bill Jefferson, a high school athlete with a kind heart and a warm smile. Bill and Joyce married in 1954, leaving their Milwaukee home and touring the country with the United States Air Force.
ACT3: The 1950s through the turbulent 60s. Bill and Joyce added to the Jefferson cast of players from 1955 through 1964 - Roxanne, Darrell, Lamont, Celeste, Wallace and Leah. Joyce's children became her muses. She learned her lines with them, they learned the beauty of English and the power of passion through her. Among Bill and Joyce's children were an engineer, a Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, lawyers, a firefighter, a banker, a devoted mother - all acolytes of their loving parents.
ACT4: San Antonio (1967), the final starting point for Joyce's remaining years. She and Bill nurtured their six children, whose friends, together with Joyce's extended family, would for decades receive handwritten birthday and anniversary wishes, congratulatory notes and condolences. Joyce recorded those dates with meticulous hand-written entries on calendars she hung on her kitchen wall, color-coded for the occasion. And she relished the expressions of joy when she handed out iconic two-dollar "Jefferson" bills to children of all ages, whether she knew them or not. Her smile was even bigger than theirs. Joyce worked, played, acted, gambled, and entertained friends and family with her delightfully irreverent humor. When Joyce successfully auditioned for a new role (as "Granny") in her grandchildren's lives, she became an anchor of love for future generations.
Though she mourned the deaths of Celeste and Bill, she knew she would soon join them in her next act. Joyce's last lines were all about appreciation and gratitude for her life and her family. THE DIRECTOR lowered the curtain on Joyce's final TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL on November 10, 2019. She received an awesome ovation.
