Joyce Burlison Walley completed her earthly journey on January 16, 2017 in the company of Guerdon, her beloved husband of 59 years. Joyce was born in Deposit, New York on March 21,

1937, the daughter of Elizabeth and Edward Burlison. She was very proud of her Irish heritage, being the granddaughter of Mary Lyons Murphy who arrived in the United States from Ireland in 1896.

Joyce spent much of her life in Deposit, graduating from Deposit Central School and working

secretarial jobs in town and being active in the community. She was an active member of St.

Joseph’s Catholic Church. She also worked as a Surrogate Court Clerk for the State of New York.

On June 28, 1958, she married Guerdon Frank Walley, Jr. In addition to her secretarial and

clerking jobs, she and her husband ran their dairy farm until retiring in the late 1990’s. Upon

their retirement, they moved to Woolwich, Maine, where they were active members of the

community and maintained many close friendships. Weekly breakfasts at a local restaurant

allowed them to catch up with the happenings of their many friends.

The special joy of Joyce’s retirement was spending as much time as possible with her children,

grandchildren, and great-grandchild. In addition to her husband Guerdon, Joyce leaves behind

three daughters: Becky Walley and her husband Donald Niehaus of Deposit, NY; Kathy Jewett

and her husband Ken of Portland, ME; and Shelley Maggio and her husband Steve of Lenox,

MA. Her six grandchildren include Elizabeth Polomcean (and her husband Justin), Melissa

Walley-Niehaus, Nathaniel Jewett (and his wife Becca), Ellen Jewett, David Maggio and Mike

Maggio. She also leaves a great-granddaughter, Autumn Ballard, who brought a special sparkle

to her great-grandmother’s eye.

There will be no calling hours or funeral. There will be a graveside service in Deposit, NY in the

spring.

In lieu of flowers, Joyce would want you to perform a random act of kindness or make a donation to a charity of your choice.

A message for the family may be left at www.desmondfuneralhomes.com.