Joyce Wittekind Hlis passed away on the evening of May 16, 2014, at age 81. She was born December 7, 1932 in Mount Healthy, Ohio, to Kathryn L. and Joseph W. Wittekind. Her family relocated to Miami Beach, Florida in 1939. She attended St. Patrick High School where she excelled in softball, volleyball and basketball.
Joyce was employed by Southern Bell Telephone Company/AT&T as a switchboard operator and engineering assignment clerk for over 30 years. She met John George Hlis at Southern Bell, and they were married April 27, 1957. She was a loving and dedicated wife of 46 years and the mother of three. Besides being a devout Catholic, she enjoyed attending church, sewing, painting, traveling and viewing her children’s sporting events. When asked in her later years, “What was your proudest accomplishment?” Joyce replied, “My children”. In 1983, she relocated to Deltona, FL where she was an active member and volunteer of Our Lady of The Lakes Catholic Church, in Deltona, FL.
Joyce was preceded in death by her loving husband John George Hlis, parents Joseph and Kathryn Wittekind, and twin half-siblings Howard and Harold Wittekind. Joyce is survived by her beloved sons and daughters-in-law: John J. and Ramona Hlis of Lutz, FL; Mark and Jane Hlis of Islamorada, FL; Stephen and Maria Hlis of Early, TX; her grandchildren Casey Preston, Shaunna Mizelle, Rocco Hlis, Christen Hlis, and Stephen Hlis; great-grandchildren Wesley, Hannah, Gregory, Grace and Kate; her sister and brother-in-law Kathleen and Kenneth Imrisek; her sister Eileen Rivera; her sister-in-law Betty Wittekind; many nieces, nephews and extended loving family. She will be dearly missed.
Visitation services will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 23rd, 2014 at Lankford Funeral Home, 220 East New York Avenue, DeLand, FL. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 24th, 2014 at Our Lady of The Lakes Catholic Church, 1310 Maximilian Street, Deltona, FL. Burial will follow at Deland Memorial Gardens, 600 East Beresford Avenue, Deland, FL. You are invited to share your memories with the family at www.lankfordfuneralhome.com.
