Joyce Conlon Dunaway

Joyce Conlon Dunaway, 88, died on Monday morning, December 19, 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina. She was born in Charleston on April 19, 1928 to Angela Riley and Michael Patrick Conlon. She married Gene Trayser Dunaway on December 22, 1952. She is survived by her two sons, Michael Trayser Dunaway, MD (Jane) of Camden, SC and Rhett Conlon Dunaway of Charleston and three grandchildren, Michael, Eliza and Sally Dunaway.Although Joyce was an only child – she never felt like one. Her father was one of twelve children and her mother was one of ten children. Joyce’s first cousins were her loyal friends and companions her entire life. She grew up on Elmwood Avenue but spent much of her time at her grandmother’s home on Hasell Street. Joyce was a graduate of Bishop England High School and a 1949 graduate of the College of Charleston where she majored in History and was a member of the Chi Omega sorority. For the first twenty years of her marriage she was a Navy wife. In those twenty years she moved eighteen times and lived on both coasts and overseas. While stationed at a small naval base in what was then the village of Golcuk, Turkey she taught elementary school to the children of the American Navy personnel in a one-room Quonset hut. She credited her time as a Navy wife and especially her time in Turkey with making her a strong, determined, self-sufficient woman. Following the Navy, she lived in New Canaan, CT for twenty seven very happy years. She and Gene retired to Charleston in 1999.Joyce’s love of travel led her to visit many countries. Following the 9/11 attacks she and Gene decided to visit each of the 50 states. She instilled her love of learning and of history in her children and grandchildren. She was a great hostess who enjoyed entertaining friends and family. But what Joyce loved the most was her family. Over the last several years the ravages of Alzheimer disease were unable to vanquish her sense of humor, her gentle laugh and her infectious smile. She deeply appreciated and loved her caregivers, the staff and her fellow residents at Summit Place of Daniel Island.A Mass celebrating Joyce’s life will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at 10:00 AM Thursday, December 22, 2016. Interment will be with Gene at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity of your choosing.