Joy Harshman

Griffith-Cline Funeral and Cremation Services

Altogether<br/>4307 Vineland Road, Suite H-17-19, Orlando, FL 32811<br/>For more information, visit our website at <a href='www.altogetherfuneral.com'>www.altogetherfuneral.com</a><br/>Copyright © 2025 FPG Intermediate Holdco, LLC

Elva Joy (Wright) Harshman, age 96, passed from this life to her Savior’s presence on January 21, 2024, at home.  She was born on June 23, 1927, near Mt. Airy, Maryland, to the late Raymond Jugertha Wright and Elva Naomi Spurrier Wright. 

Joy is survived by her children; James Paul Harshman (Judy), Dianne Faith Harshman Williams (Niles) and Denise Annette Harshman Barter (Bob); her 8 grandchildren: James Vaughan Harshman (Chrissy), Paul Leonard Harshman (Laura), Alice Joy Harshman Lander (Michael), and Andrew Raymond Harshman (Krissy), Derek Ryan Williams (Helena), Jeremy Don Williams (Heather), Marni Dianne Williams Lun (Matt), and Rachel Abigail Barter.; her 18 great-grandchildren: Delaney Harshman Almond (Austin), Aaron Harshman, James Robert (JR) Harshman, Jason Harshman, Maya Lander, Eliza Lander, Zoe Lander, Zachary Harshman, Carter Harshman, Eli Harshman; Tyler Williams (Nikki), Reese Williams, Hailey Williams, Braden Williams, Jarrett Williams, Molly Lun, and Madeline Lun.  She is also survived by her sister, Rose Wright Harne, and her sister-in-law, Grace Harshman Winpigler. 

Joy was predeceased by her parents, above, her husband, Paul Herbert Harshman, and two brothers, Raymond Spurrier Wright and James Kenneth (Bo) Wright. 

Joy was a devoted wife, deeply loved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend.  Most of all, she was a follower of Jesus and a simple woman of prayer.  

She met Paul Herbert Harshman on a skating trip to Braddock Heights on a blind date set up by his sister, Grace, she thought he was so cute, love blossomed, and they married on June 28, 1945 at Marvin Chapel Methodist Church near Mt. Airy, Maryland.  Three children, mentioned above, were born to them. 

Joy was born in her maternal grandparents’ home. When she was two years old her father rented the farm “up the hill” where she lived until she married. The house had no running water or electricity. The outhouse was up the hill and if you left the door open you could sit and watch the train go by on the B&O railway. She milked cows in the barn before school and separated milk.  Skim milk was given to the pigs and calves and the cream was used to make butter. The only heat in the farmhouse came from the wood burning cook stove and a coal burner in the living room. Electricity came when she was in high school. 

Joy loved to tell on herself in later life. As a young teen, she and her siblings pooled their money and bought a pack of cigarettes.  They went over to the railroad and sat on the fence and smoked their cigs and cussed!  BRATS! They never learned or used those words at home. Then they chewed coffee grounds to cover the odor. 

Of course, Joy got married in church.  Her sister Rose, and Buddy (Ernest Harne, Jr) were married in the “parlor” at home.  Rose wore a blue dress and Joy wore a PINK dress??  What?? So odd, as Joy ALWAYS wore blue!! While the wedding was in progress, they had put Faith (as a baby) down for a nap upstairs and just prayed that she stayed asleep through the ceremony.   During the ceremony, Buddy’s alarm went off!  He didn’t want to miss his wedding??  They held their breath, but Faith did not awaken!   ALSO, Raymond Wright (their father) refused to ‘give away’ either of his girls. He did not walk either down the aisle. 

Paul (her husband) developed farmer’s lung and was often sick with pneumonia and the winters were just too hard in the cold of Maryland.  In 1956 his doctors told him if he wanted to live he had to move to a warmer climate. So all was packed up and the family headed south with a trailer and no job, just the address of the Florida International Harvester headquarters in Jacksonville where he was given a list of dealers for possible employment.  With a truck pulling the 8 by 36 foot trailer, loaded with frozen food in a chest freezer, the hunt was on!  Mom and Dad, Jim and Faith. After several interviews they ended up in Bradenton and lived in that trailer for 2 years in the Manatee Trailer Park in a lot on the corner of 23rd Street East and 7th Avenue East.  Then Denise was on the way, and they moved into the home on 27 St East where she lived until the year 2020. Her grandson, Derek, still owns that home today.  The move was good; Paul lived another 30 years in the warmer climate.  Thirty precious years. 

Joy enjoyed walking for recreation, and serving her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and all children. Over the years Joy worked at various jobs including seamstress, house cleaner, and wallpaper hanger, for which she was featured in the Bradenton Herald and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. But her greatest job was volunteering at the church. 

Immediately upon arriving in Bradenton, they inquired about a Methodist Church and found that Manatee Methodist Church was only a few blocks away and attended there on that first Sunday in Manatee. The folks there made all feel really welcome and like the family belonged there. (Well, maybe except for the elderly couple who let them know they were sitting in their spot in the second pew!!)  There was never a need to search elsewhere for a church home.  In true Methodist form, within weeks both Joy and Paul were actively participating in all the church had to offer.   

Many people profess to be Christian.  Joy did not have to profess it…she lived a devout Christian life every single day.  She was a most faithful servant, and a model for countless others.  Joy did not ever seek recognition for her works, in fact she shied away from being in the limelight.  She just did what she felt was right and good.   

Over her 65 years as a member of Manatee Methodist Church, Joy served in just about every position possible at one time or another. She treasured participating in and leading United Methodist Women, praying for missions with her church prayer group, and serving as trustee. Most precious to her were the 15 years that she and Paul led the Youth Groups at church.  They poured their hearts into working with the youth.  For years she cooked meals for the youth, took them on countless trips, had overnights in the Fellowship Hall and so much more.  As an older woman, Joy has received warm messages from many of her former teens acknowledging the impact she had on their lives.  This meant a lot to Joy.   

As Paul’s health declined, Joy remained his faithful partner and caregiver until his all too soon death in 1986 after 41 years of marriage. 

Joy was a very active participant in a group who met monthly or more in the church hall, with members coming from other churches as well as her own.  They were a group who started out as “Scrapbookers” and eventually became “Crafters” expanding the array of projects people were working on. What a wonderful experience of just getting together, sharing, learning from one another, sharing food and fellowship.  Often it was hard to get them to stop working and go home!! 

Joy was also known as the “cookie lady”. Every Christmas season her kitchen turned into a cookie factory as she prepared between 3000 and 4000 cookies. In fact she had to buy a heavy duty mixer to handle that much dough.She made a variety of kinds of cookies and delivered them to friends, and even to her children’s places of employment. And all year long the cookie jar was full in case a grandchild came by! 

Some of Joy’s involvement at church included: 

UMW President, VP, Reading Program, Secretary, Treasurer (at various times, of course).  UMW ladies used to meet in homes, each hostess providing refreshments and most of all friendships. 

Program Chairman UMW 

Membership directory maker for UMW 

Trustee, chair and member many years 

Rummage Sale Leader.  Chairman some years, worker all years until discontinued 

Financial Secretary of the church 

Sunday School Teacher, Elementary 

Youth Leader for 13 years, teaching Jr and Sr High Schoolers 

Methodist Youth Fellowship every Sunday night.  UMW furnished MYF Sunday dinners for the youth 

Sunday School superintendent 

Staff Parish Relations Committee 

Sew n Sew leader/quilt maker.  This group has made hundreds and hundreds of child size colorful quilts which are all donated to migrant children via the Migrant Tea and several other outlets. 

Migrant Tea – active participant in planning, food, hosting other area churches 

Delegate to Annual Conference 

Leesburg Women’s Retreat 

Ministry Council 

Administrative Board 

Supplier of Deviled Eggs and Cookies on MANY Occasions – in particular, in recent years each Wednesday night a Potluck dinner was held in the hall.   Joy ‘ALWAYS’ brought her famous Deviled Eggs.  She would not dare show up without them.  How many eggs has she has cooked and peeled over the years?  It’s a huge number.   

Husband, Paul drove the church bus on Sundays for years, to pick up children for church. 

Joy drove the church bus to take UMW women to the District Meetings 

Participant in many Bible Studies 

Church hosted Wednesday night dinners for many years.  Ladies of the church cooked the meals and charged only enough to cover the costs of supplies.  Joy was the Chief Baker and Dessert Maker…..breads, cornbread, Angel Flake Biscuits, cobblers, cakes.  She even went out alone and picked fresh strawberries, cleaned them and the same day made strawberry shortcake for all.  YUM!!! 

Church Historian: In 2020 a dream came true regarding church history.  Joy was successful after years of trying, in securing the Manatee County Historical Society delegates to come and participate in opening of the huge old safe which resides in what is now the “Joy Hall”.  Ancient documents were revealed and are being permanently preserved.  It’s amazing - handwritten records of baptisms, marriages, old signatures and dates, records of activities.  Each piece is being measured, photographed, and preserved using white gloves and special methods.  That old safe is so large and so heavy that the hall was actually built around it!  Joy made MANY scrapbook albums documenting different activities of the church in more recent years with photographs and details.   

For many years Mom served as Sunshine Chairman of the UMW and church.  She sent custom home-made greeting cards to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, births, sympathy and many many “Thinking of You” cards. Each one has her signature ‘butterflies’ on it, at least one on every single card.  She spent most of her later days on this project, from making each card, to record keeping, personalizing them, and mailing!   

Joy was amazingly healthy all of her life, but she was aging. It was very hard for her to accept that she had slowed down and was no longer able to live alone, or climb ladders, or paint the house. She moved in with Faith a few years ago for safety, good food and lots of TLC.  Due to the Covid pandemic, there were a lot of ‘staying home’ and church services attended online. 

The latter years of her life were marked with pain and a lack of physical abilities.  Can you imagine the homecoming in heaven for Joy??  Once again, she can stand straight as an arrow and think with a perfect mind!!  Her faith will lead her to bow humbly before the One who saved her.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that if one wishes, to please make a donation in her memory to Manatee Life Church.

 

video tribute

When words can't fully express what we want to say, sometimes a small gift can. Visit our Memorial Store for personalized gifts, keepsake jewelry and to plant a memorial tree.

We use cookies to improve your browsing experience and analyze site traffic.
<privacyLink>Privacy Policy</privacyLink>.

<firstParagraph>We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website, store your preferences, and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you. These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent.</firstParagraph><secondParagraph>You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience.</secondParagraph>

<firstParagraph>We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.</firstParagraph><secondParagraph>The cookies that are categorized as 'Necessary' are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site.</secondParagraph>

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

Analytics

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

Functional

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

Necessary

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Performance

Customize Cookie Preferences

Verification Successful!

New Message

The following files could not be uploaded

Ways you can honor {memorialName}'s memory:

Donation Link

Upcoming Event

Featured Mementos

Welcome Message

Select an item to highlight

Add a highlighted item

Customize which items you’d like to highlight on the memorial

Create Account

Become a Keeper

As a free {brandName} user, you will only be able to make 5 photos and videos public.

As a free {brandName} user, only the first five (5) Mementos are visible to page visitors. You can change which Mementos are public by dragging and dropping a photo or video to one of the first five positions. Upgrading to {brandName} Plus will make all 10 Mementos selected visible to the public.

All Mementos

This option is only available to Keeper Plus users.

To allow yourself and the rest of the community to view all images and videos, and to enable everyone to download their own copy of these mementos, upgrade your account to Keeper Plus.

This memento is not visible to visitors

Your community has posted {itemCount} more pictures and videos that honor {firstName}'s memory. To view them all, and to enable everyone to download their own copy of each, this account will need to upgrade to Keeper Plus.

View all images and videos with Keeper Plus

Our Obituary Assistant helps you craft a meaningful life story in minutes. Review and edit every detail, and unlock more features with Keeper Plus.

Obituary Assistant

Spend as much time as you need working on your Memorial page before it is visible to the public, and much more, when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Save Page as Draft

Create unlimited event pages and unlock a suite of powerful features to help you seamlessly coordinate event details, invites, and more when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Event

Create a full picture of your loved one’s community and add unlimited family and friends to Loved Ones when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Loved One

Create unlimited Memorials — and unlock unlimited images and videos, event pages, and advanced privacy settings — to help you keep memories alive when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Memorial Page

Add unlimited Stories to highlight the all the things that made your loved one unique, from milestones, images, albums, documents, locations, and much more.

Highlight Stories

Upgrading to Keeper Plus means you can add additional Keepers to help you gather Mementos and tributes, approve content, build out a family tree, and tell {firstName}' story on Keeper.

Invite Keepers with Keeper Plus

Upload and display unlimited photos and videos, use unlimited Story templates to highlight key moments, and allow friends and family to download their own copies when you upgrade to Keeper Plus. 

Better Mementos with Keeper Plus

To access memorial related configurations that control the display of the banner upgrade to Keeper Plus.

This configuration  is not available on your current plan

Create a meaningful link path to add a personal touch to {firstName}'s memorial.

Custom Memorial link

Gift Messages

SENDING AS A GIFT?

Cart

About 1-800 Flowers

"Flowers were beautiful and they arrived in time before the funeral. Thank you and will purchase more in the future.!"

Hearing Tears

"Beautiful flowers, I've always enjoyed sending them to my love ones for sympathy and they have always love them very much Thanks for making people feel good when receiving them."

Sympathy

"This was true to the photo and good to know family took arrangement after the service."

Beautiful arrangement.  Perfect size for service.

Some of the great things our customers say about us

We're here to make it a little easier, with thoughtful gifts for the services & home, along with expert advice on how to be there during a difficult time.

Flowers

Gift Baskets

Express Your Deepest Sympathy

About Us

Perfect Condolence Gift

No one is meant to grieve alone

Peace and love

Product is made, packaged, and sent with love

Keepsakes

How to add your gift message

Packaging Information

Shipping information

Add a Personalized Charm to the Ornament:

Other Keepsakes

Install KeeperQR onto any headstone, urn, or other memorial in minutes.

Install

Use your phone or tablet to scan the unique code — no other tools required!

Scan

All three of our elegant KeeperQR designs are printed using durable, weather-resistant aluminum designed for indoors and outdoor use on headstones and urns, memorial benches and trees, or other monuments to your loved one’s life

Built to Last

Get <discount>50% off</discount> Keeper Plus with your KeeperQR purchase

Keeper Basic

Learn About Our Plans

Connect the physical and digital worlds to share your loved one’s life story with friends and family, no matter where they are.

KeeperQR Memorial QR Code Plaques

Planting a memorial tree or bereavement tree is a unique, environmentally conscious way to pay tribute and honor the memory of your loved one. Keeper Memorials is supporting American Forests to plant whitebark pine trees as well as thornscrub trees in select regions of the US and Canada.

Memorial Trees

KeeperQR is designed to pair seamlessly with a Keeper digital memorial. Use our FREE intuitive tools to create biographies, maps, and timelines, share photos and videos, and more with customizable features built to commemorate your loved one’s life’s story.

Powered by Keeper

Lifetime without any hidden costs or subscription traps

One time payment

Keeper is SOC2 compliant, keeping your memories safe and secure.

Data protection guaranteed

We bring your QR Codes to any corner of the globe

Worldwide Shipping

Our durable and beautiful QR code plaques create seamless connection between your loved one’s physical memorial and their digital memorial, allowing visitors to their final resting place instant access to their life legacy.

Memorial.

Honor their memory, share their story

A KeeperQR is a weather-resistant plaque with a custom QR code that links directly to your loved one’s digital memorial. When placed on a headstone, urn, bench, or tree, it allows friends and family to scan and view their life story instantly

What is a KeeperQR?

They’re built to withstand outdoor elements and adhere to most surfaces.

Where can I place the KeeperQR?

How does it work?

Frequently asked questions

KeeperQR

E-Certificate Design

Plant Memorial Trees as a Living Tribute

BRAZIL

CANADA

FLORIDA

OREGON

Memorial Project Reach

Memorial trees start at {price} per tree, with discounts for multiple trees

Our Commitment

Gift Baskets & Food

Keeper Plus

QR Plaques

Keepers Featured Products

A Greener Way to Remember

Learn about our Partners:

Help Us Complete Your Order

Remembrance Store

Through your unique link, your client can sign up for Keeper and create a Memorial for a loved one. When the Memorial page is completed by the family, it will appear on your microsite and website. You will be the main Keeper Administrator of the Memorial, along with the family member that created the page.

Invite Your Clients to Create a Memorial

Invite Families

Your Email Notifications

Notifications

Email Unsubscribe Settings

Other Settings

With your active Keeper PLUS subscription, you get unlimited access to a suite of powerful features:

Allow visitors to download a local copy of all images and videos.

Download Media

Create a custom and meaningful URL, unique to your loved one, for each Memorial page.

Editable URL

Plan public or private events and invite your loved ones.

Event Pages

Add images and create profile pages to illustrate the history and genealogy of your loved one.

Family Tree

Invite unlimited administrators to help you manage every Memorial page you have.

Keeper Administrators

Visitors enjoy unrestricted access to all uploaded images and videos.

Unlimited Media

Create unlimited Memorial pages for your loved ones.

Memorial Pages

You will be able to upload Full HD videos instead of embedded links.

Video Uploading

Your Profile

Add a business user

Edit a business user

Are you sure you want to delete these users from these brands? You will need to manually add these users again.

If the user is a part of multiple brands, you will have to delete the user from each one individually

Delete Users from Brands?

Users Settings & Notifications

Users

Are you sure you want to delete these users? This action will revoke their privileges across all brands.

Are you sure you want to delete this user? This action will revoke their privileges across all brands.

Delete Users from all Brands?

Delete User from Brand?

Are you sure you want to delete {totalDeletes} from this user?

Delete Roles from this User?

Are you sure you want to delete this user from this brand? You will need to manually add this user again.

Delete User from this Brand?

Requires users to confirm their email every time they would like to share a tribute on a Memorial page.

When Email Tribute Validation is turned OFF, Guest users do not need to confirm their email address before their tribute is published.

When Email Tribute Validation is turned ON, Guest users will need to confirm their email address before their tribute is published. They will receive an email with a confirmation link they must click.

Requires users to confirm their email only the first time they would like to share a tribute on a Memorial page.

Email Tribute Validation

If Flagged Content is turned OFF, content that has been flagged will remain public until they have been Approved or Removed from the Requests Center.

If Flagged Content is turned ON, content that has been flagged will be hidden until they have been Approved or Removed from the Requests Center.

Hide Flagged Content

Language

Email Notifications

Are you sure you want to delete the Memorial for {name}? This action will permanently remove the memorial from the system.

Delete Memorial?

When Memorial Request Moderation is turned OFF, Memorials will automatically be published.

When Memorial Request Moderation is turned ON, Memorials will only be published if and when you approve them. Memorials can be published or deleted in the Requests center.

Memorial Request Moderation

Moderation Settings

This will permanently delete your account. The business account, and business page will not be deleted. To deactivate your account, there must be another admin user assigned to your organization.

Are you sure you want to deactivate this account?

When Override Tribute Moderation is turned OFF, the tribute moderation settings on Memorial pages will be hidden and other Keepers cannot override the tribute moderation settings specified by your organization.

When Override Tribute Moderation is turned ON, other Keepers can view and change the tribute moderation settings of the Memorial pages they manage. (Each Memorial page will default to the organization’s tribute moderation setting upon creation.) 

Override Tribute Moderation

If the AI Content Moderation is OFF, text areas containing profane language will be published.  Tributes can however be flagged and removed at any time.

If the AI Content Moderation is ON, text areas containing profane language will not be published and the user will receive an error message.

AI Content Moderation

When Tribute Moderation is turned OFF, Tributes will automatically be published. Once published, users can flag inappropriate or spam content. You can instantly delete any Tributes published on a Memorial that you administer.

When Tribute Moderation is turned ON, Tributes will only be published if and when you approve them. Tributes can be approved or rejected in the Requests center.

Joy Harshman Obituary | Altogether