Joyce was the fifth of seven children born to Clinton and Ethel Dawson. Her family came from Kentucky, having moved to Tulare County five years before her birth. They lived in a rural area of the county, where her father earned a living digging ditches, and her mother worked seasonally in the packing sheds. Joyce cared for her younger siblings while her mother worked, until she was old enough to join her mother and add her earnings to the family's income. She married Vernon LeRoy Thorson in 1943, and raised three children, Philip, Patricia and Kay. She always emphasized hard work and education for her children, and instilled in them values which helped them become successful adults. She cooked wonderful Thanksgiving dinners, played a mean game of Rook, and could grow anything. Her death from lung cancer after a lifelong smoking habit diminished the lives of those who knew and loved her. She is still greatly missed.
Joyce was the fifth of seven children born to Clinton and Ethel Dawson. Her family came from Kentucky, having moved to Tulare County five years before her birth. They lived in a rural area of the county, where her father earned a living digging ditches, and her mother worked seasonally in the packing sheds. Joyce cared for her younger siblings while her mother worked, until she was old enough to join her mother and add her earnings to the family's income. She married Vernon LeRoy Thorson in 1943, and raised three children, Philip, Patricia and Kay. She always emphasized hard work and education for her children, and instilled in them values which helped them become successful adults. She cooked wonderful Thanksgiving dinners, played a mean game of Rook, and could grow anything. Her death from lung cancer after a lifelong smoking habit diminished the lives of those who knew and loved her. She is still greatly missed.
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