Wilma “Joyce” Wilhite, 81, of the Glenville community in McLean County, passed away Sunday, December 22, 2024, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. Joyce was born January 27, 1943, in Calloway County, KY to the late Eunice and Mary Housden. She married Fred C. Wilhite on June 10, 1962.
Joyce was better known as Duke or Dukie to family and friends, due to her baseball skills as a youngster; often compared to the great “Duke Snyder.” She was known for outplaying her brothers and male cousins in baseball. She was also a championship quarter horse woman. Joyce retired as a nurse from Riverside Manor in Calhoun and had previously worked as a labor and delivery nurse for many years in Murray, KY and Milledgeville, GA. After retirement, Joyce spent many years following her grandchildren and great grandchildren to ball games and special events, which were the highlight of her life. After family, a close second was University of Kentucky basketball. She loved to travel with her children to visit family, eat good meals, antiquing, having yard sales, participating in Calhoun Harvest Day, and telling a few good jokes. She particularly enjoyed visiting her sister Shirley and brother Phil in Murray to meet annually at Patti’s for birthday lunches. Her motto was, “it didn’t have to be true to be told.”
In addition to her parents, Joyce was preceded in death by her brother, Ronald Housden, and great-granddaughter, Remi Leigh Cowart.
Those left to cherish her memories include her husband of 62 years, Fred Wilhite; children, Shonna (Phillip) Galloway, Freddy H. Wilhite, LeAnna (Mark) Hoover, and Kylee Hunt; grandchildren, Quinton Settle (Sean Diaz), Whitley Cowart (Stew Ijames), Corey (Emily) Vincent, Aja (Joel) Mattingly, Hanah Hoover (Jordan Overstreet), Dr. Caitlyn Galloway (Nate Hibbits), Jade Mullen, London Wilhite, Mason Hunt, Matthew Galloway, and Eric Galloway; great grandchildren, Elsie Vincent, Hayes Cowart, Finley Vincent, Ella Overstreet, Riley Vincent, and Izzy Ijames; siblings, Shirley (Billy Joe) Kingins and Phil (Wanda) Housden; longtime friend, Nancy Dant; as well as many other loving family and friends.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm at Main Street Church of Christ, 865 Main St. Calhoun, KY 42327.
Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to the Calhoun Harvest Day Fund, C/O Sandy Baird, 600 Mystery House Lane, Calhoun, KY 42327, or Main Street Church of Christ.