Edna Joyce Curnutt

Edna Joyce Curnutt, 84, passed quietly into the arms of her Lord and Savior on January 31,2026, surrounded by her family and enveloped in love. Joyce was born July 6, 1941, and raised in Harlan County, Kentucky, a place that shaped her values and her grit. A daughter of the late Lawrence and Goldie Edna Jones Gilbert. Joyce was the oldest of eleven children, and from an early age she learned responsibility, patience, and how to care for others, qualities she carried with her for her entire life. She was the matriarch of a large family; her siblings, children, grandchildren, and Church. “Strength and dignity are her clothing…Her children rise up and call her blessed”. She shared an extraordinary 67 years of marriage with her husband, Hyden Curnutt, and that kind of love doesn’t happen by accident. It takes commitment, forgiveness, hard work, and a whole lot of prayer. Their love was steady and enduring, the kind that showed up every day in small ways and stood strong through every season of life. Their marriage stood as a quiet testimony of what it means to keep your vows, to love each other through good times and hard ones, and to walk hand in hand all the way through life. “Love never fails”

Joyce was a Christian woman, and her faith was the cornerstone of her life. She loved her church, trusted in the Lord, and believed in the promises of Heaven. You saw her faith in how she lived; in her kindness, her patience, and the way she loved her family and took care of those around her. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” Her family was everything to her. She was a devoted and loving mother to her three children, Deborah (Kevin) Witt of Greenup, KY, Michael Curnutt of Conway, SC, and Carolyn (and the late Rick) Farmer of Greenup, KY. She was a proud grandmother to Joshua Witt, Jessica Witt, Erika (Chris) Isaacs, and Ian Farmer. One of her greatest joys was becoming a great-grandmother to Sydney Kate Isaacs, whom she adored. Her love wrapped around all of us, steady and unconditional. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly”.

Before retiring, Joyce worked as a Head Start teacher, and that role fit her perfectly. She truly had a heart for children. She was also a Sunday School teacher. Teaching wasn’t just a job for her; it was a calling and her ministry. “Let the little children come to me”. She loved sewing, making things with her hands, and she loved shopping, especially when she was getting a good deal. Whether she was mending, browsing, or just spending time with the people she loved, she knew how to make ordinary moments feel special. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

In addition to her husband, children, and grandchildren, Joyce is survived by six siblings, Dan (Brenda) Gilbert, Nancy (Ronnie) Williams, Sie (Vicki) Gilbert, Roger (Patricia) Gilbert, Alice Smith, Eddie (Jatana) Gilbert, and a host of other nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by five siblings, Deloris Gilbert, Betty (Kenny) Napier, Judy (Robert) Keith, Carrie Sue Wynn, and Dallas Gilbert.

To know Joyce was to know gentleness, faithfulness, and quiet strength. Her legacy lives on in her family, in the lives she touched, and in the values she passed down. Though we miss her terribly, we do not grieve without hope. We take comfort knowing she is no longer tired, no longer in pain, but has gone home to be with the Lord she trusted all her life. We believe she’s heard those words she lived for: “Come home.”

Wife, Mom, Mamaw: thank you for the life you lived and the love you gave. We were blessed to be yours. Until we meet again. “Joy comes in the morning”

Funeral services will be conducted at 1:00pm, Friday, February 6, 2026, at Reed Funeral Home in Greenup by Bishop Kevin Witt.  Burial will be in the McGuire Cemetery, Greenup, Kentucky. Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00pm Thursday, and one hour before the service on Friday at the funeral home.

Condolences may be made at www.rlrfuneralhome.com.