[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7834]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING GERALDIN E. WOOD JOYNER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. THADDEUS G. McCOTTER

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 11, 2010

  Mr. McCotter. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Geraldine Wood 
Joyner, a devoted wife, mother and community activist and to mourn her 
upon her passing at the age of 89.
  Geraldine Wood, the oldest of the three children of William and Hilda 
Wood, was born in Stockton, California on May 20, 1920. Although her 
life was adversely affected and forever changed by the polio epidemic 
of 1921, Jeri was never deterred from living life to the fullest. At 
the tender age of 4, Jeri was accepted as a patient at San Francisco 
Shriners Hospital and endured multiple surgeries. Although she was home 
and hospital schooled through her eighth grade year, Jeri was healthy 
enough to attend high school, graduating in 1937. She then went on to 
attend Stockton College of Commerce. During World War II Miss Wood 
worked on a United States Army base in the state of Washington, meeting 
and eventually marrying Army Technical Sergeant Richard Joyner when the 
war ended.
  Mr. and Mrs. Joyner and their young family moved to Livonia, Michigan 
in 1960 where Jeri quickly became involved in the local PTA thus 
beginning a storied career of service to the community she loved. Jeri 
served a combined 20 years with the Livonia School Board and the Wayne 
County Intermediate School District between 1964 and 1984. Perhaps 
because she was denied a normal educational experience, Jeri felt 
impassioned to guarantee other children ample opportunities through 
their school years.
  Geraldine Joyner served her community with devotion, never waiting to 
be asked but stepping up to communicate and to identify important 
issues. Jeri was a longtime member of the League of Women Voters, 
spending many years as an election precinct chairperson. She was an 
active member of the Livonia Prayer Breakfast and the Livonia Town Hall 
speakers program. This truly was a woman who inspired those around her.
  On May 2, 2010, Geraldine Joyner's driven heart failed and the 
Livonia community lost a champion. She will long be remembered as a 
mother devoted to her family, especially Richard, her husband of 62 
years, and her sons Richard William ``Bill'' Joyner, a former Wayne 
County commissioner and Dr. Robert Wood Joyner. Jeri leaves a legacy in 
her grandchildren Richard Paul, Jonathan, Jason and Kimberly Ann 
Joyner. Jeri was a wonderful woman, kind to all she encountered. She 
will be truly and sorrowfully missed.
  Madam Speaker, during her lifetime, Geraldine Wood Joyner enriched 
the lives of everyone around her. As we bid farewell to this wonderful 
woman, I ask my colleagues to join me in mourning her passing and 
honoring her years of loyal service to our community and country.

                          ____________________