Mrs. Joyce Brassell Leigh, age 92, of Guyton, passed away February 14, 2020.

Joyce was born May 20, 1927 in Augusta, Georgia to Rhetta Joanna and John Edgar Brassell.  She was the eldest of five, including her four brothers, Jim, Robert, Buddy and Joe. She married Carl L. Smith M.D. of Sasser, Georgia in 1949 and they lived in Augusta, Atlanta, Cairo and Milledgeville as he pursued his career in medicine and raised their five children, Jett, Stephen, Sam, Lisa and Susan. Primarily a homemaker, Joyce was also an antiques dealer, member of the garden club and an animal lover. She loved music, often singing as she went about her daily routine. She was a wonderful cook and a dedicated mother to her children as well as to her brother Jim's children, Michael, Amanda and Daniel who lost their parents at an early age and lived with the family for several years on the family farm near Milledgeville. She remained close to her family in Augusta and to her husband's family over the years, attending and hosting family functions.

Joyce and Carl were married for 36 years until his death in 1985. She remarried to George Scheitlin and moved to Blowing Rock, North Carolina where she enjoyed the mountains and social activities with many friends and neighbors. She worked part time in an antiques shop in the village, pursuing her interest in antiques and utilizing her talent as a salesperson. The writer Jan Karon was so impressed by Joyce's personality that she styled a character after her in a column she wrote for the local newspaper. She and George later moved to Hayesville, North Carolina and enjoyed living in the mountains there. She lived near Hayesville and Hiawasee until George's death. Joyce married Carl Leigh in 2013 and moved to Bradenton, Florida for several years until moving closer to family for the final months of her life. Joyce was a generous, loving person with a lively spirit and abundant energy. She will be much missed by her family.

She is survived by her husband of 7 years, Carl F. Leigh, of Rincon; sons, Jett (Judy) Smith, of Gray, Carl S. Smith, of Birmingham, AL, Sam J. (Virginia) Smith, of Guyton; daughters, Lisa (Gary) Evins, of Pensacola, FL, Susan L. (Jose) Smith, of Bluffton, SC; grandchildren, Katherine F. Ward, John L. Smith, Sarah E. Blakenship, Michelle L. Evins, and Joanna Paszek; great-grandchildren, James Scheibler, Lucas Ward, Cameron Ward, Evin A. Blakenship, Carly L. Knoth, Layla Michelle Johnson, Savannah S. Johnson; many nieces and nephews and her dog, Patches.

Service arrangements to be announced.