Joyce Lindsey, Army Spouse

Joyce Lindsey is first and foremost a mom of four. Her youngest daughter has learning disabilities which require her attention most of the time. Dealing with these disabilities has taught Joyce she wants to be a teacher that has an understanding of disabled children as well as be an advocate for them and their parents.

On September 9, 2006, her husband of 16 years, Brad Lindsey, an Oregon Army National Guardsman, was killed in action in Afghanistan. Sgt. Lindsey was training Afghan soldiers at the time to fight the Taliban. It was his last mission before he was to retire, a mission for which the 19-year military veteran had volunteered. Before he died, the couple had discussed Joyce’s educational goals.

With the loss of her husband, her plans to go back to school where put on hold. Joyce left her 20-year career in banking so she could be at home with her children during this difficult time. When the pain of her family’s loss began to heal, Joyce started volunteering at Arthur Academy, where her youngest daughter was a student. Although Joyce had previously volunteered with the Oregon National Guard family program, it was her experience volunteering with the children at Arthur Academy that gave her the most satisfaction. This experience brought Joyce to make the decision to become a teacher, leading her to Easter Oregon University where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education and her teaching license.