Joyce Sherwood Revelle, 90, of Port Orange, FL passed away peacefully in her home on November 8th, surrounded by her daughter and three close friends. Joyce was the wife of the late Jack D. Revelle, beloved mother of Jack C. and Barbara Jo, grandmother to Joanna, Johnny, and Katie, and great grandma to John Levi. She also leaves behind her best friends and caregivers for many years, Jutta, Doris and Sherry. Before retiring Joyce and her husband owned and worked side by side for many decades at the automobile dealership "Honda City" in Syracuse, NY. They were an unusually adventurous and athletic couple - skiers, swimmers, SCUBA divers, pilots, motorcycle enthusiasts, and world travelers. Joyce, in fact, traveled 11 times to different parts of Africa, a place she loved intensely. A long-time member of the The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots, in 2013 Joyce was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. This is the most prestigious award the FAA makes and is given to "recognize individuals who have exhibited professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise for at least 50 years". Joyce's first solo flight was in1945 when it was rare for women to learn to earn a pilot's license. Joyce was also a talented photographer, filmmaker and videographer, who thoroughly documented her life and extensive travels and who amassed a wonderful archive of photos, films and videos. Joyce, too, was an animal lover all her life, always had pets, sometimes owned dog kennels, and rescued many dogs from shelters. She was devoted to feeding all the wild birds and other critters that frequented the many feeding stations she created wherever she lived. In particular at her home in the woods on Pleasant Lake in upstate NY, where she and Jack lived for almost 50 years, she fed and nurtured hundreds of deer, raccoons, foxes, skunks, birds, squirrels and other of animals. She loved all God's creatures unquestioningly. Probably what Joyce will most be remembered for is the angelic kindness in her approach to life. In addition to her sweet, generous, compassionate nature, Joyce was uncommonly fearless. Once, during a flying adventure in Alaska, while landed on a small beach with her daughter, son-in-law, and a professional bush pilot, the group became surrounded by literally 28 (!) grizzly bears. Hurrying back to the plane almost a mile away, Joyce was by far the calmest in the group. She kept everyone else from panicking with her quiet, cheerful philosophizing. She and her husband Jack had several 'close calls' in their little Bonanza single engine airplane with something pilots call CAT (clear air turbulence) - most notably in the mountains near Jackson Hole, WY, while flying in to ski. Joyce had a fabled composure in near-death situations, and this continued all her life. She showed remarkable bravery as she aged, fought back from innumerable falls and health challenges, and was more than courageous as her own time to pass neared. She was deeply religious and often spoke about how she looked forward to her reunion with her precious husband and other lost loved-ones in heaven - where she certainly is now. She will be profoundly missed. A celebration of Joyce's life will be held at her Port Orange home on Saturday December 1, 2018 at 2 PM. Instead of flowers, please make a donation in her name to God's Children's Home, an orphanage in the Philippines https://www.facebook.com/GodsChildrensHomePhilippines

Condolences may be shared with the family at www.lohmanfuneralhomes.com