Betty Joyce Sikora

Obituary for Betty Joyce Sikora Betty Joyce Sikora, 82, of Wharton, Texas, died peacefully on March 25, 2016. She was born in Wharton on August 11, 1933, to Adolph and Genevieve McCabe Sikora. Devoted daughter, beloved sister, loyal friend, and delightful aunt, Betty Joyce was a blend of beauty, wit, intellect and love. Known for her outgoing personality and her gorgeous auburn hair, she played clarinet in the Wharton High School band, was selected Wharton County Fair Queen, and graduated as Valedictorian of the class of 1951. She went on to earn a bachelors’ degree from North Texas State University in Denton. While at North Texas, she was named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. Betty Joyce served as president of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, and she and her sister Ellen Mae graced the pages of the Yucca yearbook as campus beauties. Betty Joyce was a life-long learner and adventurer. After teaching in Ft. Worth for a year, she took off for Germany to teach in US Department of Defense schools. She took advantage of every opportunity to experience new cultures, spending Christmas Eve in Bethlehem and observing Easter Sunday at the Vatican. From the pyramids to the Vienna Woods, she made friends wherever she went. After returning from Germany, she was a creative and sought-after teacher at Memorial Drive Elementary School in the Spring Branch School District. She left teaching in 1969, moved home to Wharton and became Office Manager for Wharton Turf Grass until 2015. She was probably happiest spending a sunny afternoon at “the river,” a lovely spot on the Colorado, surrounded by family and friends and ancient live oaks. But she was equally at home skiing down Aspen Mountain, shooting sporting clays, rocking her great-niece, or meeting actors backstage at a Broadway play. Betty Joyce was a faithful Christian and longtime member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church. She particularly loved singing in the church choir. She demonstrated her faith each day by greeting everyone with unremitting love and encouragement, and by her willingness to forgive. But her faith was never more revealed than in the way she approached her illness, “…joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Ellen Mae and Jack Hays; devoted life-long friend, Charles Davis; niece, Jenna Margaret McEachern and her husband, Randy; nephew Jackie Hays and wife Andrea, nephew Jeffrey Hays and wife Gina. She will be missed by many loving great-nieces and nephews, cousins, and countless friends. Betty Joyce's family is deeply grateful for the extraordinary care she received from Dr. Larissa Meyer and other doctors and staff at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 2, at 2:00 pm at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Father John Soard officiating. Condolences may be left at www.whartonfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions in memory of Betty Joyce Sikora be made to St. Thomas Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 586, Wharton, TX, 77488, or to S.P.O.T., Wharton County Stray Pet Outreach Team, P.O. Box 584, Wharton, TX, 77488.