Obituaries 12/25/2025
Joyce Dean Spencer Anthony
MURPHY, Texas — Joyce Dean Spencer Anthony, age 91, of Murphy, Texas, formerly of Water Valley and Greenville, passed away after a brief illness on December 12, 2025, at her home in Murphy, Texas.
Joyce was born January 4, 1934, in Delta City, Sharkey County, to the late Ulner Dean Cooper Spencer and Willie James Spencer. She was a graduate of Delta City High School and attended Delta State University. She later moved to Greenville and began working for The Goyer Company, where she met the love of her life, Glynn Anthony Jr. They were married July 11, 1953.
While living in Greenville, she was very active in Parkview Baptist Church, the Junior Women’s Club, Junior Auxiliary, the Greenville Garden Club and the Supper Club. She worked several years for Dr. Hand and Dr. Blaylock, and later as a medical transcriptionist at King’s Daughters Hospital.
Survivors include a son, Tony Anthony (Melissa) of Murphy, Texas; a daughter, Denise Purvis Keep of Memphis; four grandchildren, Spencer Anthony (Kristen), Jonathan Anthony, Ben Purvis and Hannah Purvis; three great-grandchildren, Amelia Anthony, Lukas Anthony and Katherine Keep; two sisters, Willie Ruth Savell (Harold) of Hendersonville, North Carolina, and Mary Ann Wood (Clyde) of Oxford; and a host of nieces and nephews who loved their Aunt Joyce.
She was preceded in death by her husband, M. Glynn Anthony Jr., who passed away November 20, 1990; her parents; and two sisters, Katherine S. Ingram (Garth) of Hollandale and Doris Reedy (Rev. Guy) of Water Valley. The five sisters, whose ages spanned 20 years, were affectionately known as “the five Spencer girls” and were all accomplished homemakers with a flair for home decorating.
An immaculate housekeeper, Joyce was also a great cook. She hosted family gatherings for more than 50 years — a time for laughter, hugs and kisses, and sharing recipes. Two tables and a service bar were literally filled with no fewer than 20 dishes, from appetizers to desserts, carefully chosen to cater to everyone’s palate. Several zip-lock bags were filled with leftovers for the children’s return home.
Her laugh was contagious. Seldom did you meet Joyce without receiving a smile and a kind word (one grandchild never said “Mama Joyce”; Katherine renamed her “Happy Joyce”). She loved life, her family and her friends. In her later years, she moved to Water Valley to be near Mary Ann and Clyde. Declining health later brought moves to her children’s homes in Memphis and Murphy.
Joyce had a warm, caring heart; she was a friend and the family’s biggest supporter, and she will be missed beyond words. Her wishes were that loved ones not grieve for her, but prepare to one day join her in Heaven. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Water Valley.
Services will be held Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 2 p.m. at the chapel of Mortimer Funeral Home, 711 Highway 82 East, followed by burial in the family plot at Greenville Memorial Gardens. Visitation will precede the service beginning at 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Baptist Children’s Village, P.O. Box 2