In 1988 Joy earned the prestigious recognition of TOPS Washington state queen for achieving goal weight and losing 124 pounds.
"Stick with it...success is incremental...it might be 1/4 pound at a time to get to goal, focus on living and eating healthy" was her parting advice to the group.
"We know how to lose and gain weight, we have to learn to live in the middle at goal," she added.
When she moved to Graham she couldn't find a group to transfer to that worked with her schedule of availability, so she started a new chapter. Over the years it has blossomed to 39 members with several who have reached their goal weight and maintained it earning them KOPS (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly) status.
Joy and her husband are moving to Arizona to pursue a career opportunity. She looks at the change as a way to demonstrate to her grown children that at over 60 years of age you can still do something new in your life.
