Joy Wilson

Joy Therese Wilson, EdD, passed away on May 30, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. Born in Grand Island, NE on April 9, 1937to Olan and Alice Wilson (deceased), Joy lived a long and fulfilling life. Joy received her BA in Education at Michigan State University and moved to Denver in 1959 to start her first teaching position. She received an MA in the 60's from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 1973 she was selected to be one of seven teachers in DPS to enroll at the University of Wisconsin to receive another Masters Degree and to become a principal in DPS. She not only received a Masters Degree but also a Doctorate in Administration in Education. At the age of 32, she was the youngest person to be appointed Principal in DPS.

Joy was very talented and loved to sing and play her ukulele. She was known to take her uke to several bars in Denver and play and entertain the patrons. She was also an accomplished skier and spent many weekends at her condo in Frisco enjoying the slopes. After the condo was sold she bought an RV and she and three other teachers would spend their summers traveling around the United States. Joy excelled in planning those trips and researched all the places to visit and stay on their journeys. After Joy retired from DPS, she became passionate volunteer at the Denver Zoo for over 20 years. During her retirement she became an avid cruiser and enjoyed trips to South America, Iceland, Norway and the South Pacific. She was passionate about the Broncos and held season tickets for over 60 years. In her spare time she did exhaustive work on her family genealogy.

If you spent time with joy, you would know there was never a dull moment and in travelling she always wanted to know "What's next?"

Joy is survived by her brother Philip and his wife Nancy, her nieces Kristy Axness (Tim), Michelle Weltzien (Tim), her nephew Michael Wilson (Cathy), several nieces and nephews, numerous close friends and her best and closest friend Page Haguewood.

Memorial Contributions can be made to the Denver Zoo.