Joy Story McDowell passed away on Nov. 22 at the age of 75. A service for family and friends will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 26, at First Baptist Church, Amarillo, with Gary Story, Mrs. McDowell’s brother and Dr. Howard Batson, pastor officiating. Joy was born in Plainview, Texas, on December 9th, 1943, to Joe and Maude Story, who lived in Sand Hill at the time. Their family moved to Summerfield, and then on to Hereford in 1951, where Joe was a farmer, and Maude was a homemaker. Joy accepted Jesus as a child and had a firm faith throughout her life. She graduated from Hereford High School in 1962. Many of her close friendships formed during high school lasted her entire life. “The girls of 62” always held a special place in her heart. She attended West Texas State University and Texas Tech University. Joy married Dan McDowell on January 26th, 1963. They were the parents of Ashley Campbell, of Canyon, Texas, and Justin Story McDowell, of Lubbock, Texas. Joy and Dan raised their children in Odessa, Texas; Breckenridge, Texas; and Lubbock, Texas. When Ashley and Justin both had started school, Joy began working at Dan’s dental practice. She worked with Dan until his retirement in 2012. Joy was a member of First Baptist Church in Breckenridge, Lubbock, and Amarillo. She loved both teaching and attending Sunday School. She & Dan moved to Amarillo in 2015 to be closer to Ashley and John. She became a member of the Love Sunday School class at FBC-Amarillo; many thanks to the dear women of this class for showing such warmth, compassion, and friendship. She also served as a greeter at FBC-Amarillo. Joy had a great sense of humor, and she had many interests – cooking, baking, reading, & gardening to name a few. Joy loved going to the beauty shop – a special thanks to Mandy Moles for being such a great hairdresser and friend. Joy was a very caring and thoughtful person, always looking for ways to brighten someone else’s day. She and Ashley loved traveling to Fredericksburg, Texas, every year to shop, eat, and enjoy the bluebonnets in April. They also enjoyed visiting the Magnolia Silos and Dallas Arboretum. Joy and Dan invested countless hours in their children and their activities growing up. Whenever parent volunteers were needed to take students places, Joy and Dan were there. Joy was a constant encourager, a “Balcony person”, for both Ashley and Justin throughout their entire lives, and she will be so missed. A special thanks to Joy’s sister & brother-in-law, Sandra & Roland Saul, for their help and support during both Dan’s and Joy’s illnesses. They went above and beyond to make sure all needs were met; Ashley and Justin are forever grateful. In addition, a sincere thanks to Joy’s favorite brother, Gary, for officiating at both Dan’s and Joy’s services. Family meant the world to Joy. Joy is preceded in death by her parents, Joe & Maude Story, her husband, Dan McDowell, and her sister, Nancy Mustian, and her brother-in-law, Ansel McDowell. She is survived by her daughter, Ashley Campbell & her husband, John; and her son, Justin Story McDowell, as well as her grandsons, Stephen Ansel Campbell and Preston Joseph Campbell. She is also survived by brother-in-law, Roy Mustian, sisters and their husbands: Sandra & Roland Saul of Hereford, Jan & Stan Metcalf of Brackettville, and brother & wife, Gary & Carol Story of Wilmore Kentucky. In addition, she is survived by wonderful cousins, as well as nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, 1208 S Tyler St, Amarillo, TX 79101 or the charity of your choice.