Joyce W. Fossek, born December 22, 1937, in Los Angeles, CA, died peacefully at her home in Langley, WA, in the presence of family, on May 27, 2022, after approximately a seven-year valiant battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Joyce moved to the Island in 1954 when she was 17 along with her parents and two brothers. This was a highlight of her young life to move from the bustling city of LA to the rural farm on Lone Lake, which she loved and where she resided for many years. Joyce graduated from Langley High School in 1955. She moved into Seattle where she worked for an insurance company for a short time. After which, she moved back to the Island where she went to work in Oak Harbor at the Law Firm of Patrick, Zylstra & Pitt. While employed with them, she went to business college for legal training and became a legal assistant at the firm, where she worked for many years. In 1978, she married Ray Fossek, and resided in Langley the remainder of her life. She retired from the law firm about 1980, and from then on worked alongside her beloved husband, Ray, for almost 30 years helping to run the Fossek Farm in Langley.

The farm began with Ray’s grandmother, Louisa, running one of the first hotels in Langley in 1906 – the Lenz Hotel – in the field across 3rd Street from the Catholic Church. The farm grew to what it is today with more land purchased during Ray and his first wife, LaVeta’s marriage. Besides having horses, Ray and Joyce raised cattle and sheep, and Joyce eventually became known in Langley as the “Sheep Lady”. After Ray’s death in 2007, Joyce continued to run the farm acreage on 6th Street and to raise her iconic sheep and lambs, which the community and even tourists love to this day. Joyce enjoyed her sheep and lambs until the very end of her life.

Joyce was very bright, independent, and well-versed on many subjects. She had many interests in her life and made many long-time friends in the pursuit of those interests, ie.e., she loved horses and the great outdoors and was a member of the Island Riders Horse Club and The Mountaineers; she was an avid skier, who spent many a winter riding the ski bus and enjoying the slopes; many summers inclued the annual family horse packing and camping trip in the Cascade Mountains; Joyce and Ray loved fishing, and spent many a wonderful trip together and with family and friends on lakes throughout the region; she was an avid gardener, and every summer provided family, friends and the community with fresh produce; she was also a Star Trek buff, was a “Trekkie”, and enjoyed many hours of watching the Star Trek TV series; in 1986, she became enthralled and an avid fan of another series entitled Starman that aired for one season. She and many other avid fans, statewide and worldwide, attended for many years Starman Conventions together, and she even became a writer of Starman stories – fanfiction – to share with her Starman friends.

There are many in our Whidbey community that we would like to thank for the help they gave Joyce in her later years: the South Whidbey medical community and Joyce’s various providers; Senior Services for their support, Meals on Wheels, and hospital equipment lending library; WhidbeyHealth Hospice, who provided care and comfort to Joyce at the end of her life; the Widow’s Circle at Island Church who gave her love, friendship and many hours of fellowship; the Island Church Soup Kitchen, where she enjoyed good food, yummy desserts and companionship; devoted neighbors and friends, who brought Joyce and her family love, support, and comfort; and others too numerous to mention. We would like to give a special thank-you to Jeanne Standley-Kinata, who served Joyce in many capacities over the last several years, selflessly, including being her caregiver and becoming her close friend and confidant.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Karl and Adriana Wernik; her brothers Fred and Jerry Wernik; her husband, Ray Fossek; stepdaughter and step son-in-law, Betty Mae and Charles Doratt. Joyce’s survivors include cousins, nieces, and nephew; stepchildren: Fred Fossek, Carl Fossek (Janet), “Tiny” Rae Tillman (Vance); numerous step-grandchildren, step-great grandchildren, and step great, great grandchildren; as well as many friends and admirers.

A couple months before her death, Joyce professed to Jeanne, family and close friends that she had asked Jesus into her life. Since then, she had a peace and a joy that she never had before, and she was looking forward to going home to Heaven. Joyce willed her body to the Willed Body Program at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine for research and education. Her family was pleased to be able to honor her wishes in this and in her wish, if possible, to be cared for and live out her life in her own home. At some point, Joyce’s cremains will be returned by the UW to her family and buried at Joyce’s request with her husband, Ray, in the Langley Woodmen Cemetery. Joyce was loved by family and friends and will be greatly missed! Her family hopes to have a Celebration of Life for her later this summer – to be announced at a later date.