Joyce Ruth Colston
1940-2021
Joyce Ruth (Bieretz) Colston , 80, entered into her eternal home on February 26, 2021. Joyce was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Ernest Christian Bieretz and Ruth Lydia (Ortel) Bieretz on December 12, 1940. Joyce met the first love of her life, her future husband Mac, as a young teenager living across the alley from each other in Baltimore. She married Robert M. Colston, Jr. on August 14, 1958. Theirs was a life-long love affair to which God added six sons, Robert, III, Dean, Richard, Scott, Jason, and Timothy.
On November 12, 1972, Joyce met the second and most important love of her life when she asked Jesus Christ to be her Lord and Savior and was baptized into the family of God. Joyce never finished high school and struggled with poor reading skills. Yet, through the ministry of several ladies Bible studies and the help of her husband, she became more proficient at reading and found tremendous joy in reading her Bible and devotional materials. With the help of the Lord, Joyce was ready at every opportunity to share the joy she had found in Jesus with others. Many will attest to her zeal for sharing the Gospel message both verbally and through the passing of tracts.
Joyce was a loving and supportive wife as her husband's job took them from the east coast to the Midwest, to Europe, and finally settling back in Oklahoma. Joyce knew her calling was as a mother and a homemaker. She loved her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the countless babies she was able to help care for in the various churches where she was a member.
Joyce was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and two brothers, Ron Bieretz and Edward Bieretz. She is survived by her six sons, Robert, III and wife Patricia, Burns Flat, OK, Dean and wife Tamie, Arlington, TX, Richard and wife, Cindy, McKinney, TX, Scott and wife Mary Beth, Oklahoma City, OK, Jason, Washington, DC, and Tim and wife Katya of Tallassee, FL, 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren with number 11 due this fall.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held Saturday March 13 at 1 PM at the Meadowood Baptist Church in Midwest City. The service will be live streamed on the church's Facebook page due to Covid restrictions. In lieu of flowers the family prefers that contributions be made to Compassion International Ministries.