Marilyn Joyce Slayton

Marilyn “Joyce” Slayton, a long-time resident of Grants Pass, died on Friday the 8th of May at Three Rivers Medical Center.

Born to Clinton and Margaret Griffeth in Bushnell IL on June 8, 1934 to Joyce was raised with her three sisters and a brother. She attended high school in Bushnell until she married an enlisted man in the Air Force. After her marriage, Joyce spent time in Anchorage Alaska until her marriage dissolved after which she returned home to Bushnell.

Back in Bushnell, she began to write to a friend of her sister’s, John Zook. They fell in love and married in 1955 a marriage which lasted until John’s death in 1990. Joyce and John relocated to Albuquerque, NM where they lived until 1962. During their time in Albuquerque Joyce became an avid CB Radio, motorcycle and car racing enthusiast. Joyce and John relocated to the California Bay Area where they lived and raised their two sons, Clinton and Steve. Joyce worked as an operator for a local telephone answering service until her retirement in the mid-nineties.

In 1994, Joyce met her third husband, Gene Haney. They were married in 1995, and for the next 11 years Joyce and Haney spent their retirement years traveling to Asia, Europe and across the United States. They were active in fraternal organizations including the Moose, Elks, Lions, and the VFW. In 2001, Joyce and Haney relocated to Grants Pass where they continued their involvement with the VFW, Moose and Elks lodge.

After Haney died in 2006, Joyce lived quietly for several years, enjoying the company of friends, reading, and attending and conducting garage sales. It was at one of her own garage sales, that she met her fourth husband, Foy Slayton. Foy called her his 'Dollar Girl' because everything he asked about was a dollar. Joyce and Foy dated for several years and married on Halloween night 2015.

Joyce was known for her warm heart, infectious laugh and extensive catalogue of stories about her years in Illinois, Alaska, New Mexico, and California. She loved her dogs, her family, and her home, She enjoyed cooking but had a self-proclaimed ‘black thumb.”

Joyce is survived by her son Clint Zook, her grandsons Steven and Richard, and her granddaughters, Amanda and Tina and their children. Joyce will be buried with her husband, Eugene Haney, in Eagle Point Cemetery. A viewing and memorial service will be held with immediate family and close friends at 8am on Friday, May 15, 2020 at Stephens Family Chapel, which has been entrusted with final arrangements.

Memorial gifts may be made to the American Cancer Society or Southern Oregon Humane Society.