'Joy,' Of Point Pleasant, Embodied The Meaning Of Her Name

POINT PLEASANT – Joy Mackwell Brady set an example by living up to her name, her obituary said.

"She adored her family and set a beautiful example of loving unconditionally and sacrificially and enjoying the simplest to the most sophisticated," her family's obituary said.

Joy, of Point Pleasant and and Cronulla, Australia, passed away at the age of 87 on Jan. 10.

Her obituary said that everyone "cherished her sharp but quiet wit and valued the wisdom she shared."

"She filled many lifetimes into one as she had great energy and loved to do everything with everyone," her obituary said.

Those things that made her happiest included spending time with her family, and dancing and holding hands with her beloved husband, Ron, her obituary said.

Joy met Ron, her husband, while on a cruise ship in Greece. They went on to "joyously" travel the world together, her obituary said.

Joy was born in Passaic on April 12, 1932. As a child, she lived in many locations across the United States. Joy and her family eventually settled in Short Hills and then Bay Head and Point Pleasant, her obituary said.

Joy graduated from Pompton Lakes High School, where she was a cheerleader, and then from Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1954. She taught elementary education in Glen Rock and was a kindergarten teacher at the Oak Knoll School in Summit for many years, her obituary said.

She also taught many art courses for youth. While raising her three daughters, she earned an additional bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from Kean University, her obituary said.

Since Joy was a child, she treasured sports, culture and the arts, and being in nature. Joy and her family greatly enjoyed the outdoors together and were members of the Essex Skating Club of New Jersey. They took pleasure in tennis and social activities at the Racquets Club in Short Hills, her obituary said, as well as at the Wyoming Club in Millburn, and the Bay Head Yacht Club.

Joy and her family were members of the Community Congregational Church in Short Hills, where she sang in the choir and taught Sunday School. Most recently, Joy loved swimming, yoga, and walking along the shore, visiting natural wonders wherever she traveled, and singing with her family, her obituary aid.

"She shared all of her passions with her daughters and grandchildren and inspired them accordingly," her obituary said.

She is survived by her husband, Ronald Brady; her three daughters, Carol Craig Hewit and her husband David of Normandy Beach, Susan Joy Craig Brown and her husband Rob of Newtown, Pa., Laurie Craig Goetz and her husband James of Greensboro, N.C.; her brother David Mackwell and his wife Diantha of Pukalani, Hawaii, and nine grandchildren.

A service to celebrate her life will be held at the Bay Head Chapel at the corner of Bridge Avenue and Main Avenue, Bay Head, on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 12:30 p.m. and will be presided by the Rev. David Cotton. Memorial donations can be made to a charity of your choice in memory of Joy Brady.