Joyce Margaret Stewart Rea,77 , of Charleston, South Carolina, wife of Robert A. Rea entered into eternal rest Monday, February 24, 2020. Her Memorial Service will be held Sunday, March 1, 2020 in Grace on the Ashley Baptist Church, 2014 Bees Ferry Road at 4:00 p.m. The family will receive friends from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the service. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. West Ashley Chapel.
Joyce was born November 15, 1942 in Greenville, SC the daughter of the late Thomas Stewart and Katie Beauford Stewart. She graduated from D.W. Daniel High School and Coker College. She grew up in Clemson, SC where her father was employed for many years at the university. Joyce retired from Charleston Southern University as the Director of Student Activities where throughout her career she met and assisted multitudes of students as they began and continued their undergraduate student lives. She was very active in beauty pageants, traveling the state and local areas as a judge, making lifelong friendships and later as a former director of the Miss SC Pageant, the preliminary pageant to the Miss America Pageant. Joyce also taught dance and loved to sing. She was a member of Grace on the Ashley Baptist Church.
She is survived by her husband, Bob Rea of Charleston, SC; son, Rhett Moore (Leslie) of Franklin, TN; daughter, Ashley King (Ken) of Charleston, SC; Robert Rea (Angie) of Summerville, SC, Diane Thorpe (Gary) of North Charleston, SC, Gary Rea (Lynn) of Charleston, SC, Jerry Rea (Catherine) of Meggett, SC and Michelle Kanapaux of Charleston, SC; twenty-one grandchildren, Lindsey, Joey, Rachelle, Robert, Bridget, Richard, Travis, Emily, Abigail, Cameron, Cody, Olivia, Ava, Madison, Alexis, Brooklyn, Lucas, Landyn, Carson, Caden, Blakely and three great-grandchildren, Jordan, Emma and Avery; brother, Dr. Thomas C. Stewart, Jr. (Judy) of Columbia, SC and uncle, Horace Beauford of Spartanburg, SC.In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution may be made to Grace on the Ashley Baptist Church Building Fund, 2014 Bees Ferry Road, Charleston, SC, 29414.