Obituary: Joyce Millhouse

Photo courtesy of the family.

Joyce Elaine (Kinsey) Millhouse, age 92, passed away June 4, 2018 at Chelsea Retirement Community.  She was born on January, 26, 1926 in Jackson, Michigan the daughter of John Emerson, Jr. and Marion (Topping) Kinsey and sister to Phyllis (Kinsey) Coakley.  Joyce grew up in Plainfield next to the only store in the town that her family owned and operated for many years and was a member of the Plainfield United Methodist Church. She attended Stockbridge schools where she graduated in 1943.  She was blessed with an amazing singing voice and during her junior and senior years of high school she took voice lessons and held the lead in two operettas.  She continued to sing regularly in her church choir and also belonged to a Barber Shop Quartet.  After graduating she worked for the Army Air Corp & Navy Inspection offices where she learned to teletype and operate a switchboard phone system.  Her working career continued at D & C Stores, Inc. in Stockbridge and then at Midwest Bank in Jackson where she worked in the Accounting/Payroll department until she retired in 1982.  On July 19, 1946 she married Clarence L. Millhouse who preceded her in death on July, 9, 1988.  The couple raised their family in Stockbridge on Elizabeth Street.  She was a very talented seamstress, she made a lot of clothing for her children as they were growing up and also continued with her grandchildren making a Prom dress and flower girl dress for her granddaughter’s wedding.  She also made countless quilts in many patterns and designs and loved to share her latest project with whoever came to visit.  In addition to quilting she enjoyed needle point, cross stitch, candle making, baking and making hard candy with her great grandchildren. She pridefully enjoyed watching all six of her grandchildren grow up as they also attended Stockbridge schools, Shannon, Anji, Isaac, Amanda, Erin and Yolanda and spent a lot of time recording home movies of them in their younger years.  She was also fortunate to have been blessed with 15 great grandchildren.  She was a dedicated mother to her four children, her son John A. Millhouse and daughter Julia A. (Millhouse) Singer also preceded her in death, surviving are two daughters, Chris (Millhouse) Gill of Ypsilanti, Linda (Millhouse) Pena of Ann Arbor and niece Kaye Lee Coakley of California.  A private memorial will be held at a later date.