On January 3, 2015, Joy Jewel Browder passed quietly after years of battling kidney disease and other long-term and short-term ailments.

Joy was born in Lompoc on September 17th, 1944 to John and Betty McCarthy. Exactly ten years later, her parents presented her with a birthday gift of a little brother, John Raymond McCarthy III, Known to the family as RayRay or just Ray. She loved him dearly and it broke her heart when their mother was forced to move with him to the Santa Ynez Valley for his health.

Joy loved the beach and felt badly that she couldn't visit it more often because of the restrictions due to her peritoneal dialysis.
She loved old things, and antiques, and all kinds of creatures, or "critters". She was a good friend to all who needed someone to give them a boost in life.

In school she made friends easily, like Shirley (Atkins) Arnold who was her dearest friend right to the end, remaining by her side with love and encouragement. Even in her illnesses she made friends of her medical caregivers.

She met her husband Butch Browder, an airman at Vandenberg. They were married in 1967. His family became hers and her family became his. Together they developed an interest in local politics and they saw a need to expose wrongdoings and poor judgment by elected officials. She used her considerable talent in document research to assist her in this regard. She despised the "good old boy" networks and was eager to point fingers at those who would take advantage of the "system" and the powerless.

In this activity she made new and lasting friendships, and felt she was making a difference.

But above all, it was her love of cats and animals that molded her life. She was a champion of the underdog. At the beach when feeding the birds, she made certain that the big seagulls did not run off the smaller birds, keeping them from getting their shares. She recognized the good in people and wished that others could see it too.

Joy graduated and received her Bachelor's degree from UCSB, and subsequently received her teaching credential from Cal Poly. She completed her student teaching in the Lompoc Unified School District.

Joy is survived by Butch, her loving husband of 47 years, her brother John and her two cats Crystal and Gigi, whom she loved without limits and who loved her as their mommy. She also leaves behind her "sister-friend" Shirley, and Aunts, Uncles and cousins on both sides of the family.