Joyce S. Bannister

Joy Bannister, 91, of Toms River, NJ, passed away Monday, August 12, 2024, at the Hickman, a Friends Senior Living Center in West Chester, PA. Joy was born in London in 1933 and lived there until she moved as a young adult to Basel, Switzerland in the mid-1950s. While living and working in Basel, Joy met her husband, Derek Bannister. They married in 1957 and remained so until his death in 2016. Joy and Derek moved to the United States in 1961 and became citizens in 1976. Joy earned her Bachelor's degree from Georgian Court College (now University) in the mid-1970s, and taught English literature at Lakewood Prep School in Lakewood, NJ, where she required her students to memorize Shakespearean soliloquies and even Beowulf in the original Old English. Joy was an active member of Beachwood Yacht Club for decades, volunteered at the Garden State Philharmonic, and was a member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO). Joy was fluent in French and loved gardening, reading, and watching English television. Her children believe she and Derek may have been spies for the British government while in Switzerland after World War II, but that remains unconfirmed. Joy is survived by her brother and his family, her four children, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. Services and interment will be private.