Jun 7, 1941 — Oct 26, 2026
Overland Park
Billie Joyce Goodwin, lovingly known as Joyce, passed away on October 26, 2026, in Overland Park, Kansas, at the age of 85. Though her family grieves her passing, they find comfort in knowing that she is finally home in Heaven, reunited with her beloved husband, Les, and in the presence of her Savior, Jesus Christ.
Born on June 7, 1941, in Hagerman, New Mexico, to Otis Craig and Virginia Kathleen Dunn, Joyce lived a life marked by creativity, love for her family, and a deep faith in God.
Joyce had a special gift for making things beautiful. As an interior designer for Orman Interiors, she used her creative eye and love for design to transform spaces into places of beauty and warmth. Her creativity extended well beyond her career, however. She especially loved decorating her church for Christmas and Easter, joyfully using her talents to create beautiful surroundings that celebrated the most meaningful seasons of the Christian faith. For Joyce, beauty was more than how something looked; it was a way to express love and make others feel welcome.
Above all, Joyce treasured her family. She loved having her children and grandchildren close and wanted her home to be a place where family gathered and memories were made. In fact, she went so far as to have an in-ground swimming pool installed so that her children and grandchildren would want to spend their summers at her house. It was a reflection of her heart—she wanted her home to be a place filled with laughter, togetherness, and the joy of being a family. Those summer days and countless memories made together will remain a cherished part of her family’s story.
Joyce’s Christian faith was an important part of her life. She found joy in serving others through her church and sharing her gifts with those around her. In her final years, as dementia gradually changed so much of her earthly life, her family held close the hope of Heaven and the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Joyce had been looking forward to going home to Heaven, where she would once again see Jesus face to face and be reunited with Les, who had promised her that he would be waiting for her beside the River Jordan. What a beautiful picture of a love that death could not end and a faith that looked beyond this life to the promise of eternity. Her family takes comfort in imagining that long-awaited reunion and knowing that, for Joyce, the journey home is complete.
Joyce is survived by her two daughters, Kathy Plymire and Deneen Cook; six grandchildren, David Plymire, Derek Plymire, Thomas Cook, Lesly Gawarecki, Melissa Richmond, and Kara Cook; and her great-grandchildren, Olivia Plymire, Zach Plymire, Abby Voorhees, Mayven Gawarecki, Daniel Richmond, Hunter Richmond, AJ Gawarecki, Dru Gawarecki, Asher Gawarecki, Eoghan Gawarecki, and Oliver Gawarecki. She is also survived by her great-great-grandchildren, Hope Voorhees, Davonte Jr. Voorhees, and Ka’Lliyah Voorhees; and her brother, Danny Craig. She will also be lovingly remembered by extended family members and friends whose lives were touched by her.
Joyce’s legacy lives on in the beauty she created, the faith she shared, and, most of all, the family she loved so dearly. Though she will be deeply missed, her family celebrates a life well lived and rests in the assurance that this is not goodbye forever, but simply “until we meet again.”
A celebration of Joyce’s life will be held Thursday, November 5, 2026, at Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial Gardens. Visitation will begin at 11:00 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 12:00 p.m., officiated by Kip Nelson. Burial will follow at 1:00 p.m.
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
— 2 Timothy 4:7–8 (KJV)
Obituary published by Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial Gardens.
