Joyce Ava (Knighton) Churchill Gresham, 86

Joyce Ava (Knighton) Churchill Gresham, 86, passed away on Sept. 4, 2005, at her home in Sagle, Idaho.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005, at the Lakeview Funeral Home with Charley Packard officiating.

Joyce was born on May 2, 1919 in Buena Vista, Ore.,, the daughter of Roy and Essie (Johnson) Knighton. She grew up in the Portland, Ore., area where much of her youth was spent exploring the forest around the logging camps her father worked in.

She met Ellis Churchill while they were both working as welders on the "victory ships" in the ship yards. They were married Sept. 25, 1945, and settled in Ocean Park, Wash.

They were active members in the local saddle club and Joyce went to work in the oyster cannery. She worked there for almost 15 years. They had three sons and in 1960, decided to return to Sagle, Idaho, where Ellis's family operated a dairy. They purchased a ranch and made their living farming, logging and helping with the dairy.

Ellis passed away on Feb. 19, 1970.

Joyce married Eugene Gresham on March 11, 1972, leaving the family ranch to her oldest boys and moving with her youngest son with her to Troy, Mont. She lived there for three years before moving back to the Sagle ranch, due to her husband's health problems. Gene passed away on June 30, 1977.

Joyce spent the remainder of her life living at the ranch in Sagle.

Joyce was dedicated to her family and knew the meaning of hard work. She enjoyed gardening, caring for her family, photography, sewing, crocheting, horses, collecting plates, traveling, and hunting.

Survivors include her sons, Bruce Churchill and Judy Foster of Sagle, John and Sally Churchill of Sagle, and William and Candy Churchill of Spokane, Wash.; her stepdaughters, Linda McMorris of Billings, Mont., Donna (Durwood) Antley of Havre, Idaho, Karen (Jerry) Tylstra of Lynnwood, Wash., and Kathy (John) Anthony of Bozeman, Mont.; and numerous nieces, nephews and grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, a sister, Bernice Wray; a brother, Robert Knighton; and husbands; Ellis Churchill and Eugene Gresham.