Joyce Ousley

Joyce Ousley

Whenever Joyce Ousley walked into a room, she brightened it with her warm smile, outgoing personality, and laugh.

“Wherever she went, whatever she did, it was always Kaseemah! Kaseemah!” said her lifelong friend Boyd Kurkland, referring to the nickname she adopted as a teen. “She was well-known and very outspoken. She was just sweet, beautiful, loving, wise. Everybody loved her.”

Joyce Ousley, of Williamsport, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, at Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital. She was 60.

Joyce was born in Newark, N.J., on July 29, 1962, to the late Charles Sr. and Dorothy (Woolridge) Ousley. The fifth of seven children, Joyce grew up in the Hayes Homes, attended Newark Public Schools, and graduated from Central High School, where she was a cheerleader and the class valedictorian. Her favorite color was red.

In 1982, Joyce was blessed by the arrival of her daughter, Tiffany Ousley, whom she adored. Joyce worked in security briefly at Newark Airport. But raising and caring for Tiffany became her life’s work.

“She was always there for her daughter. Whenever her daughter was going through anything, she always had her back.” said Joyce’s brother, Gregory Ousley. “They were like sisters.”

Tiffany recalled how her mom had her hair done up each year, brought her a new pair of her favorite sneakers, and made her look pretty for end-of-the-year school events.

“What I will miss most about my mom is her laugh,” Tiffany said.

 Joyce loved her family and liked to dance, sing and party in her spare time, which she did until she faced health challenges that required hospitalization.

Joyce is survived by a daughter, Tiffany Ousley of Columbus, Georgia; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; two brothers, Gregory Ousley of Williamsport; and Tyrone Ousley of Newark, N.J; an Aunt, Hattie Taliaferro of Newark, N.J.; three other aunts; two uncles; and a host of nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Joyce was preceded in death by a sister, Eunice Ousley, and three brothers, Charles, Darnell, and Curtis Ousley.

A viewing will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, at Maneval Allen Redmond Cremation & Funeral Home, 500 W. Fourth St., Williamsport. A homegoing service will follow on Wednesday at the funeral home, with Pastor Janice Sapp officiating.

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