Reese Irby JOYE, Jr.

1938 - 2008  (70 years)

• Name	Reese Irby JOYE  [1]
  Suffix	Jr.
  Birth	15 May 1938	Bennettsville, South Carolina
  Gender	Male
  HIST	Posted on Wed, Jul. 23, 2008 Reese I. Joye Jr. MT. PLEASANT — Reese Irby Joye of Mt. Pleasant, SC, peacefully entered into eternal life Sunday, July 20, 2008, at the age of 70. Reese, or “Bunky” as he was known to many, was born May 15, 1938, in Bennettsville, SC. After graduation from high school, he took his energy to the campus of the University of South Carolina to pursue his degree in mechanical engineering. While there, he was president of his class, elected into Omicron Delta Kappa and was an enthusiastic member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He loved telling his family of being invited his senior year to visit Cuba to see the agrarian reforms which the new leader, Fidel Castro, had initiated. The study of law brought him back to his alma mater in 1962. After serving as an attorney negotiator for Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, WA, and later as director of Contract Administration at Fairchild Hiller aircraft, Mr. Joye returned to South Carolina with his family to begin the private practice of law in Charleston. Thirty-eight years later, the Joye Law Firm continues to follow the traditions he began as a young man beginning his career in the lowcountry. Trial law became his calling. He often told whoever would listen that he loved his career and woke up each morning ready to test his wit and challenge the wits of others. Known as a tenacious advocate, he became a formidable opponent in the courtroom. Mr. Joye was a primary founder of the Public Defender Office in Charleston County. He also was the founding president of the S.C. Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His calling was to insure the rights of all the citizens. In recent years, testifying before committees involved in designing new laws, he would travel to Columbia almost weekly to fight for laws in which he believed. An Eagle Scout in his youth, Mr. Joye was active in serving as a scoutmaster at his church in Mt. Pleasant and saw both his sons attain the Eagle award during his leadership. In recent years, he was awarded the Silver Beaver from the Coastal Carolina Scouts. A favorite saying during his tenure was “There’s no scouting if there are no outings.” Every month the scout troop would take off for woods or rivers in search of adventures. His greatest passions were skiing in Colorado and spending time with his five grandchildren. He believed in fellowship with his friends and invited them to visit him in Vail where he liked to spend the winter season. He rarely had a day in three months without a good friend there to share it with him. He loved to travel and never saved any trips for the distant future. He knew life was precious, and he wanted to live it to the fullest. He and his wife Jackie enjoyed many wonderful trips together, thoroughly exploring favorite areas of the world, especially the culinary terrain of northern Italy! He was an adventurer -- getting a pilot’s license to see the world from above and a scuba diving license to view everything below. He loved the majesty of nature and all animals (except that pesky otter who recently ate all his koi from the fish pond). Just last month, he bought himself a new bicycle, went trout fishing, and took a hike in the Rocky Mountains. Mr. Joye was a member of St Andrews Church in Mt. Pleasant and a former deacon of Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church. He held memberships in the South Carolina Bar, the American Association for Justice, American Board of Trial Attorneys. He was a lifetime honorary member of the Hibernian Society, charter board member of the Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy, and a member of the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Mr. Joye is survived by his loving wife, Jacquelyn Day Joye; his son, Mark and his two children, Mason and Eliza of Mt. Pleasant; his son, Todd and wife Lynn and their three children: Benjamin, William and Emily of Mt. Pleasant; Celeste and husband Tom Foster of New York; and his sister, Mille Joye of Columbia with two nieces and one nephew. He was predeceased by an older sister, Shirley Ann Joye Hall and by his parents, Reese Irby Joye and Mildred Stokes Odom Joye of Bennettsville, South Carolina. Visitation prior to the funeral will be at Stuhr’s Funeral Home, Mathis Ferry Road, Mt. Pleasant, from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 23. The funeral services will be Thursday, July 24, 2008, at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Mt. Pleasant, SC, at 5:00 p.m. A celebration of his life will be held at his residence immediately afterward. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Coastal Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America at 1025 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, Charleston, SC 29407 and the Legal Education Fund for the 9th Circuit Public Defenders Office, 101 Meeting Street, 5th Floor, Charleston, SC 29401-2214. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., Mount Pleasant Chapel. A memorial message may be written to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com. Visit our guestbook at www.charleston.net/deaths.    [1]
  Occupation	owned Joye Law Firm, Charleston, South Carolina  [1]
  _UID	F9A742C8D02F4C12AC8AEBBB1B632452D7FA
  Death	20 Jul 2008
  Burial	24 Jul 2008  [1]
  	J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., Mount Pleasant Chapel, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
  Person ID	I190721	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	9 Aug 2008

  
  

  Father	Reese Irby JOYE, Sr.   d. Bef 20 Jul 2008
  Mother	Mildred Stokes ODOM   d. Bef 20 Jul 2008
  _UID	09B7E800E3514047A6772491F6ABF48D5783
  _UID	09B7E800E3514047A6772491F6ABF48D5783
  Family ID	F153105	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Jacquelyn DAY
  _UID	F19D48B175504B83BB0CEEED71AC692E70CE
  _UID	F19D48B175504B83BB0CEEED71AC692E70CE
  Children	1. Mark JOYE   2. Todd JOYE   3. Celeste JOYE
  Family ID	F123674	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Mar 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S10857] Reese I. Joye Jr.