Judy Owens Voyles, 87, of Vero Beach, passed away on March 4, 2015.
She is survived by six children, Pamela Camille Voyles of Murphy, N.C., Patricia Hall (Gene) Smith of Vero Beach, R. Marshall (Patti) Voyles, Jr. of Vero Beach, Keith Faulkner (Kris) Voyles of Masaryktown, Fla., Quentin Owens (Gail) Voyles of Vero Beach and Marvin Dale (Tracy) Voyles of Aurora, Colo.; grandchildren Kristy, Robbie, George, Angie, Leeanna, Kahla, Eric, Keith, Kyle, Caitlyn and Matthew; great-grandchildren Tallulah, Lyla and Gabriella; and cousins Susan Talbert and Dale Talbert.
She was preceded in death by her husband Robert M. Voyles, brother Ched, and a grandson Kevin.
Born in Tampa, Fla., Nov. 2, 1927, Voyles moved to Vero Beach in 1935 to live with her grandmother, Daisy Faulkner Owens and begin first grade. She graduated from Vero Beach High School in 1946 where she had been a cheerleader and also crowned MISS VBHS. She then attended Florida State College for Women where she was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority and earned her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. It was after her freshman year that her college became FSU, a coed university. While in college, Voyles worked at the Poinsettia Gift Shop in Vero Beach at Christmas time and during the summer. In 1948 the Jaycees decided to have a Miss Vero Beach by a popular vote and she won the title.
The year 1950 was a huge year in her life as she graduated from FSU and began teaching the first grade in the same classroom she was in during her first school year. Her principal was Kathryn McClure who had also been her second grade teacher. It was in July of the same year that she married Bob Voyles after a whirlwind romance.
She had been an active member of the First Baptist Church in Vero Beach, participating in its youth activities and choir. But since Bob was Episcopalian they compromised and joined the Methodist Church where they were charter members of the AWARE Class and Pairs and Spares. After teaching elementary school for several years, Voyles began teaching kindergarten at the Methodist Church and in 1961 she established a private kindergarten called The Little School. She operated the school for many years until the State of Florida implemented kindergarten as a grade level in the public school system and Indian River County was chosen for the pilot program. Voyles was a teacher in the pilot program and it was structured based on her designs and programs at The Little School. She continued to teach until her retirement and even then volunteered as a classroom assistant at Osceola Magnet School.
Always on top of the game, Voyles was a member of the Republican Women’s Club, lifetime member of Florida Retired Educators, lifetime member of Delta Kappa Gamma teacher’s sorority, Veteran’s Memorial Island Sanctuary Advisory Committee, on the board of directors of Vero Heritage, Inc. (Heritage Center), director and volunteer coordinator for the Indian River Citrus Museum, past president and board member of the Indian River Historical Society which identifies and oversees many historical properties in Indian River County including the Vero Beach Train Station Museum and a member of Florida State University Alumni Association.
For her dedication to the residents of Indian River County she was honored with the Book of Golden Deeds Award in 2005 presented by the Exchange Club of Vero Beach.
And still she managed a marriage of nearly 60 years which included six children.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 7 p.m., Friday, March 27, 2015 at the Strunk Funeral Home in Vero Beach. A memorial service celebrating the life of Julia Owens Voyles will begin at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, March 28, 2015 at the First United Methodist Church in Vero Beach.
Her love of family and friends, and her appreciation and passion for Vero Beach and Indian River County are the foundation of her legacy.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, 51 Children’s Way, Enterprise, FL 32725 or The Exchange Club of Vero Beach Scholarship Foundation, Attn: John Wurzburger, Treas., 5523 53rd Avenue, Vero Beach, FL 32967.
