Joyce Maxine (Middleton) May

Joyce Maxine (Middleton) May, age 92, of New Castle, DE, passed away on Thursday, January 6, 2022 at Complete Care of Brackenville in Hockessin, DE.

Born in Morpeth, Canada, on February 11, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Arthur and Mabel (Emerton) Middleton. Raised in Canada, Joyce was married in 1955 to Orville Fraser May. They moved to the United States in 1956 where they both later became American citizens and eventually settled in New Castle, DE with their two children.

A dedicated and devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Joyce was the steady rock of the family. She was happiest when spending time with her loved ones and was known to always be ready to fix a meal, snack, or cup of coffee or tea for anyone who might happen to stop by.

Joyce worked outside the home in retail for many years. She spent 27 of those years working at Marjorie Speakman, Inc., an exclusive children’s clothing store that was in Greenville, DE, prior to retiring in 1999. Joyce had many fond memories of her fellow coworkers as well as many interesting local customers who shopped there over the years, such as Jill Biden.

In her leisure time, Joyce enjoyed cooking, baking, reading, gardening, attending her grandchildren’s sporting events when they were young, watching Lawrence Welk on TV, and mostly just spending time with her beloved family and cat, Jetta.

In addition to her parents, Joyce is preceded in death by her loving husband of 48 years, Orville F. May; sister, Audrey Middleton Gillies, and brother, Maurice Middleton. She is survived by her son, Frazer A. May (Adriana); daughter, Shelley M. Hinton (Michael); grandchildren, Steven D. Earley (Alicia), Christopher W. Earley (Emily), and Kelyn E. Marmolejo (Pablo); 4 great-grandsons; sister, Dorothy Middleton Smith of Ontario, Canada; and several nieces and nephews who reside in Canada.

The family would like to thank the staff at Complete Care of Brackenville and Bayada Hospice for their kind and attentive care during her stay.

A visitation for family and friends will be held from 10:30 am until 11:30 am on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 1000 North DuPont Parkway, New Castle, DE, where a funeral service will be held at 11:30 am. Face coverings will be required for all those in attendance regardless of their vaccination status. Interment will be held privately.