Joyce Beatrice Harris Dozier was born April 8, 1933 at home on Bruce Street in Baltimore City to the late Suzanne Johnson Harris and Benjamin Harris. Joyce was the oldest of eight children. She was the original Harris Girl, the Prototype. On Friday, February 14,2025 at 2:12am she transitioned from her earthly home after a lengthy and courageous battle to her well-deserved reward to her Heavenly Home.

Joyce was raised in a religious family and gave her life to Christ at an early age. She has been a lifetime member of Payne Memorial AME church for over 80 years and joined under the pastorate of the late Reverend C. Baker Pearl. As she grew in faith over the years, she served on numerous committees and received several appointed positions in the church. She served on the Trustee Board, was a

Steward, and a member of the Women's Guild, the Payne Lay Organization, and the Baltimore Lay Organization. She was a dedicated, faithful member who made sure her tithes were mailed weekly. She loved the Lord and her church family. Joyce actively attended Payne Memorial AME church until her health began to fail.

Joyce received her education in Baltimore City Schools until her family relocated to Anne Arundel County where she attended Wiley Bates High School.

Shortly after high school, Joyce married and two children, Margaret and Edward, were born from this union. In 1953, she met the love of her life, her future husband, Levi Dozier Jr. and was married after a three (3) year courtship. Out of this union there were three children, Levi, Michael, and Joyce. Joyce loved being a mother and ensured that the children were nurtured, cared for, and felt loved. She poured herself into the role of mother. Joyce made sacrifices to ensure that her children had opportunities that she was not afforded. She raised five children who became responsible adults and are now senior citizens. Joyce and Levi celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 22, 2006. Levi Dozier Jr. passed away on August 12, 2006.

Joyce was a diligent worker working numerous jobs until she found more opportunities at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. She had a career for over 20 years as a clerk in the Operating Room and a patient registrant with the Out-Patient Department for the newly established clinic. She was respected by her peers, nurses, and doctors. They could always receive motherly advice and could always depend on her to keep everyone organized and on schedule. She also had a way to make the patients feel that they were important.

Even to this day when she had medical appointments at The Greater Baltimore Medical Center, she was greeted with smiles and hugs because of the ways she related to staff. As the great Maya Angelo eloquently stated, people may have not remembered what Joyce said; however, they remembered how Joyce made them feel.

Joyce was a quiet spirit and always looked for the best in all people and in all situations. She was a light of hope, love, encouragement, and compassion. While some part of her life was challenging, she was never bitter and persevered and took on challenges to improve her life circumstances, her children, her extended family, and the circumstances of others. She was trusted with issues that were confidential and sensitive.

Joyce was the family matriarch that the family could depend on. She had the ability to listen and encourage and was always willing to provide whatever was needed. One word to describe Joyce is a "Giver." This God given gift of giving was bestowed upon Joyce allowed her to give freely, without any conditions attached. Giving Her love, Her time, Her joy, Her money was Her altruistic nature.

Joyce was fun loving and family oriented. She loved celebrating good times and any accomplishments of her family. She loved her family with her whole heart. There was hardly an event or celebration missed unless due to illness. She loved large family gatherings and lived for the holidays. She loved Christmas where she decorated her home with villages, nutcrackers, angels, wreaths, and animations. The Christmas Village was admired and used as background on the Payne Memorial AME Christmas Card. Students from the Grove Park Elementary School visited her home and admired her decorations for years. Now, other family members have taken the Christmas Village to a new modernized level. She loved to bake homemade Christmas cookies and would share them with everyone. The cookies were delicious; family, friends, and church members would come over to have their cans filled with her delicious cookies.

Joyce loved to watch Westerns, Jeopardy, Cooking, and Courtroom Shows. She enjoyed gardening and could grow anything. Neighbors would bring down their plants for her to grow for them. Her plants, flowers, and garden vegetables looked great and tasted even better. Joyce was an excellent cook and baker. Her specialties included cookies, sweet potato pies, and Seafood Lasagna. Joyce was avid traveler. She has taken numerous cruises, visited Spain, Alaska, and several Islands in the Caribbean. She was a social butterfly who made friends easily.

Joyce has memberships in numerous organizations. She is a lifetime member of the NAACP, the Chaplin of The Harris Foundation formally the Jet Set Social Club, and a member of the Red Hat Society.

Joyce leaves to cherish her memory five (5) children, Margaret Coffield (Kenneth), Edward Chase (Rita), Levi Dozier III,

Michael Dozier (Melba), Joyce Cheese (Tyrone); seven grandchildren Anthony Coffield, Erika Coffield, Ebony Chase, Keli Chase, Jaelyn Chase, Devin Cheese, Durrell Cheese; nine great-grandchildren, Anthony Coffield Jr, Myra Coffield Jackson, Shedai Chase, David Cheese, Nora Cheese, Nicquel Hicks, Alexis Coffield, Olivia Coffield, Mia Jennings; two sisters, Betty Dotson and Barbara Hill; three sisters-in-law, Jackie Harris, Brenda Harris, Isabelle Dozier; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, church family, and a special neighbor Ann Hendrix.