Joyce G. Ponsell, age 88, died peacefully at home in Frederick MD on February 27, 2025. Joyce was born in Webb City, Missouri to Ralph Kerr Gottshall and Lorraine Lively Gottshall. The Gottshalls moved to Wilmington DE where Joyce started second grade and met her future husband, although they did not date until 1958. She graduated from PS DuPont High School in 1954 and earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Delaware in 1958. Her college years concluded with a USO tour as stage manager of a U of D play presented to the troops in Guam and Japan. After marrying Richard Campbell Ponsell in 1959, Joyce and Dick moved to Texas where Dick finished his Army service. They moved back to Wilmington DE, began a family, and later moved to Kennett Square PA, and Morristown NJ in their years together. After Dick died in 1986 Joyce returned to the Kennett Square area where she expanded her love of birding and nature.
While raising three witty children, Joyce also served the community volunteering in church activities, school events, scouting, and the like. In ~1977, Joyce founded the Chester County Chapter of the Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, advocating for children’s education locally and in the PA legislature. An avid birder since the 1970’s, in the 80’s Joyce began volunteering at Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research. Initially an excellent feeder of baby birds (earning her the title Wren Mom), she soon took on washing and rehabilitating oiled birds. Joyce was hired as a part-time Oil Spill Coordinator at Tri-State and was quite busy managing a team of volunteer bird cleaners. Time marched on, and Joyce semi-retired and moved to Ocean Pines, MD where she became a Master Gardener. Specializing in native plants, she often spoke to groups and consulted on many native plant garden designs on the Eastern Shore. Often found splashing in waterways, Joyce met the horseshoe-loving founder of ERDG (Ecological Research and Development Group) and joined the board of directors when they formalized as a 501©3. In 2007 Joyce moved to Mt. Joy PA where she studied to earn her Pennsylvania Master Gardner accreditation and worked in the Penn State research gardens, was an active supporter of the Milanof-Schock library, and joyfully joined Wayside Presbyterian Church. Joyce continued her love of birding and took numerous trips over the years, birding in the Galapagos, Alaska, Australia, Costa Rica, Kenya, as well as most of the United States.
In 2014 Joyce and her cats, Nip and Tuck, moved to an apartment in Homewood at Crumland Farms in Frederick MD where she enjoyed singing in the choir, taking sightseeing trips around the county (ice cream stops included), and visiting with neighbors. In her later years she lamented that she could not recall the Latin names of native plants, and while her kids joked that now she was like ‘normal’ people, we were concerned. In October 2023 Joyce fell and broke her hip, and, hackneyed as it sounds, it was the beginning of the end.
Joyce is survived by her children: Karen (Ponsell) Baxley of Frederick MD, and Karen’s husband Richard and daughter Baylor; Sandra (Ponsell) Trapp of Archer FL, and husband James Trapp; and Michael Ralph Ponsell of Morgantown, PA and his wife Allison Hoober Ponsell and their children Emmett and Aila. Joyce is also survived by her little sister, Pamela Stewart, of Manorville NY, and was predeceased by her big sister, Joan Humphreville of Florida. Joyce enjoyed hearing about her nephews David Humphreville, Matthew Humphreville, Duncan Stewart and Ian Stewart and seeing photos of the families.
Joyce was a loving person who generously donated to her three favorite charities:
• Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research https://tristatebird.org
• ERDG (Environmental Research & Development Group) https://horseshoecrab.org
• University of Delaware Alumni, 1958 Scholarship Endowment Fund https://ud.alumniq.com/giving/to/makeagift, select another option and enter 1958.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Joyce’s name to one of these groups. Friends are invited to join the family at Buckley’s Tavern private room upstairs at 5812 Kennett Pike, Centreville, DE 19807 on Saturday May 10 from 12:30 to 3 PM. A short service to Rejoice Joyce will begin at 1:00 PM.
For online condolences visit: www.mccreryandharra.com
