Joyce Elaine Easson

Joyce Elaine (Cornelison) Easson, age 75 of Springfield, passed away on Saturday, October 11th, 2025. She was a fun, smart, thoughtful, loyal and wonderful mother, wife, nana, sister, aunt and friend. Her positive attitude and joy for life made a lasting impression on everyone she met. 

Joyce was born in her family home in Fordland, Missouri to Ivol and Esther Cornelison on July 7th, 1950 and was the youngest of 6 siblings. She always loved that she and her older sister Wilda shared the same birthday. Joyce graduated from Ava High School in 1968. She married her husband, Charlie, on October 3rd, 1970. Joyce and Charlie were married for 46 years and had two daughters, Jennifer Leigh Easson Carr and Sara Jill Easson Long.

Joyce worked for many years in management and electronics at Litton Industries. She also had her real estate license and worked for several years at Coldwell Banker before becoming the Bridge Director at Springfield Bridge Center. She enjoyed many friendships and fond memories from her years working at Litton and the Bridge Center. Joyce loved to play any type of game from board games, bridge, bunco, cards, dice and dominoes and she loved teaching others how to play games, especially her favorite dice game, "Greedy". She was an avid reader and typically read as many as two or three books at a time. She enjoyed family history and genealogy, movies and plays, monthly breakfasts with family, gardening, lunch with her friends, listening to music and audio books, collecting cookbooks, sewing, Bunco, family trips to the beach, picnics (especially at her favorite park, Nathanial Greene) and she loved a good Bloody Mary. 

Over the years Joyce also enjoyed camping, going to the lake and playing tennis. She was always up for an adventure and loved a good road trip. One of her favorite memories was a two week road trip she took with her friend Sue Ann. She truly enjoyed spending time her friends, they were always an important part of her life. Joyce took immense pride in all of her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who brought her so much joy. She loved watching them compete in sports and attending school activities and snuggling her great grandbabies. She always told them they were the "apple of her eye". One of her grandkids favorite Christmas memories was the year she bought them all Nerf guns! Joyce will be remembered for being smart, independent and strong - and for the fun, laughter, and the love she poured into every moment spent with all the people she loved most.

Joyce is survived by her two daughters and sons-in-law, Jennifer and Rick Carr, Jill and Erich Long; six grandchildren, Riley Carr, Dalton Carr (Hannah Carr), Ryan Long, Jack Long, Lainey Long, and Remmer Carr; and two great grandchildren, Analise and Dawson Carr. She is survived by her sisters Wanda Lea and Wilda Vierkant; brother-in-law Winston Burton and sister-in-law Coleen Cornelison and many nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles “Chas” Henry Easson; her parents; Ivol Lawrence and Esther Mae (Iorg) Cornelison; stepmother Leota Cornelison; brothers Wayne Cornelison and Densel Cornelison; sister-in-law Colleen Cornelison; brothers-in-law Paul Vierkant and Ron Lea and nephew Greg Vierkant. 

Joyce's request was to not have a formal service, to honor her and in lieu of a formal service, her daughters hosted a living Celebration of Life for her in September. It was a beautiful day for her sharing and celebrating the day with all of her friends and family. Thank you to everyone who came to share stories, fun memories and to celebrate her life with her.

Donations can be made in Joyce's memory to Nathanael Greene Park, https://75823.blackbaudhosting.com/75823/General, Friends of the Library https://www.thelibrary.org/standard-pages/donate or Union Chapel Cemetery, in care of Adams Funeral Home, 504 W. Walnut St., Ozark, MO 65721.

Cremation rites will be accorded by Adams Crematory and arrangements are under direction of Adams Funeral Home, Ozark.