Joyce Ann Van Dermark's Obituary
Joyce Ann Van Dermark, age 89, passed away peacefully in Georgetown, Texas on May 27, 2024. She was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 21, 1934. Joyce was preceded in death by her mother Reva, father Robert D. of Dallas and brother Robert M. of Orlando, Florida. She is survived by her nephew Steven M. Van Dermark (Theresa) of Orlando, Florida, and cousins Bruce Bartels (Romana) of Jaffrey, New Hampshire, Robin Shaffer of Dallas, Texas, and Meredith Sawyer of Alexandria, Minnesota.
Joyce grew up in Chicago. She graduated with honors from Wright Jr. College and attended the Chicago Art Institute on a scholarship. She moved to Dallas, Texas in 1955, where she had a successful, 45-year career in graphic arts production and design. Joyce owned and/or operated several design studios throughout her long, award-winning career including Ad Art and A Touch of Paint. She freelanced and worked on many accounts such as American Airlines, Dr Pepper, Radio Shack, Subaru, and JC Penney with several top advertising agencies. She was active in the Advertising Artists Association of Dallas and in 1963 was president. In the 1970s she taught graphic design and production at Eastfield Jr. College in Mesquite, Texas and Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas. Joyce was a docent at the Dallas Zoo during the 1980s, and a member of the AAZPA for several years. She was co-founder and president of the Friends of the Dallas Zoo and was instrumental in helping raise money for the expansion of the zoo, plus fundraising for many other zoo projects.
Her love of travel took her all over the USA, Mexico, Europe, Central and South America, in addition to photographic safaris with the Dallas Zoo curators to East Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. She had a knack for languages and could hold a pretty good conversation in French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Swahili.
When she retired in 1998 from the advertising world, Joyce began doing smaller art projects such as crafting jewelry, making and repairing art pieces, and painting. Much of her work was sold at various art and craft fairs all around Texas. She was an avid opera fan and for several decades she was very active in the Dallas Opera Guild, volunteering in many capacities including the opera boutique.
Joyce was appointed and served for over 25 years as a member and then Vice-Chair of the Special Sign District Advisory Committee (SSDAC) that included overseeing signs permitted in the West End, Deep Ellum, Downtown, Jefferson Avenue, the Trinity River project, and the Dallas Arts District of which she was SSDAC Chairman.
In 2016 she moved to Sun City in Georgetown, Texas, and in 2021 she moved to The Delaney Senior Living community in Georgetown.
A memorial service will be held in Dallas at a later date. In lieu of flowers, it was Joyce’s desire that donations be sent to The Dallas Zoo, the Georgetown Animal Shelter, the Christian Science Society of Georgetown, a favorite charity, or that a tree be planted in her name with the Arbor Day Foundation.
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