Joyce Tift Davis, a woman of remarkable warmth, grace, and quiet strength, peacefully went home to be with her Lord on August 11, 2026, at the age of 85. Born on November 1, 1940, in McRae, Georgia, she grew up in Tifton, where she became the sweet, kind, and hardworking Southern woman that everyone who knew her came to love.
It was at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College that Joyce met the love of her life, Arthur Davis. The two were married on March 12, 1960, beginning a devoted partnership that carried them through the many years that followed. As newlyweds, they moved to Athens, Georgia, where Arthur attended and graduated from the University of Georgia, going on to become a well-known golf course architect. For many years, Joyce worked faithfully at her husband’s side as his assistant and confidant — a true partner in every sense, in life and in work. Together they built a family, welcoming their daughter, Cynthia Dawn Davis, on November 25, 1962, and their son, Arthur Lee Davis, Jr., on December 4, 1966.
Faith was the foundation of Joyce’s life. For many years she was a devoted member of First Baptist Church in Rome, Georgia, and after returning to the Atlanta area in the 1990s, she found a cherished church home at Johns Creek Baptist Church.
When Arthur passed away in January 1999, Joyce met the greatest loss of her life with the same quiet courage she brought to everything. She went on to serve as an executive assistant for Eberly & Associates, an engineering firm in Atlanta. It was in this season that she discovered something that helped heal her heart and filled her with endless joy: ballroom dancing. Joyce absolutely loved to dance. The dance floor gave her back her light and her laughter, and anyone who saw her there could see how fully she came alive. Her energy knew no bounds!
In recent years, Joyce found renewed happiness in the loving companionship of Harold “Bud” Penny. True to her love of the dance floor, the two met at her assisted living community, where Bud was the DJ — and Joyce, never one to sit still, asked him to dance. From that day on they were the life of the place, the beloved “party people” who brought music, laughter, and joy wherever they went. Together they shared a deep and abiding happiness that filled her days — a blessing her family counted among the greatest gifts of her later years.
Joyce never met a stranger. Warm, thoughtful, and endlessly kind, she had a gift for making everyone around her feel loved. When she wasn’t dancing, she loved to work with her hands. She sewed beautiful quilts for each of her children and every one of her great-grandchildren, and she found equal joy in tending her garden — growing fresh vegetables and preserving them through canning — arranging flowers, and creating through her many crafts. These were far more than hobbies; they were a cherished part of who she was. She found beauty and purpose in the simple things and took great pride in passing her talents and traditions down to her grandchildren, creating treasured memories that will live on through them. Her hands may no longer be in the garden, but the love she planted in the hearts of her family will continue to bloom for generations to come.
Life brought Joyce many ups and downs, but through all of it she remained unfailingly positive, meeting each day with a smile no matter what came her way. She may never have known it, but she was an inspiration to all who loved her — the very picture of a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a gentle, joyful soul.
Joyce was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Arthur Davis, and her brother, Chappie Tift. She is survived by her loving companion, Harold “Bud” Penny; her daughter, Cynthia Dawn Davis, and her husband, Chris White; and her son, Arthur Lee Davis, Jr. She was the proud and loving grandmother of three granddaughters — Courtney Rebecca (White) Joseph and her husband, Matt Joseph; Christina Dawn (White) Roberson and her husband, Robert Roberson; and Caroline Clarke (White) Taylor and her husband, Nick Taylor — and the adoring great-grandmother of seven: Juliette Rose and Juniper Faye Joseph; Carson Thomas Denison, Maren Elizabeth Roberson, and McKenzie Roberson; and Emilee Clarke and Nicholas Alan Taylor.
Joyce is also survived by her brother, Homer Tift; her sister, Telie Tift Sumner, and her husband, Dale; her sister-in-law, Serita Tift; and many beloved brothers- and sisters-in-law, including David Davis and his wife, Evelyn, Diane Myers, Charlotte Tyson, Mary Whitfield and her husband, Robert, Debbie Wilson, and Robert “Bobby” Davis.
A service to celebrate Joyce’s life will be held on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals, 420 Love Avenue, Tifton, Georgia 31794. The family will receive friends for visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m., prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to:
Johns Creek Baptist Church: https://jcbc.org/give/
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