Joy LaRae Turley Clark

Born on May 16, 1950, passed away on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2026, one week shy of her 76th birthday, after having a heart attack. Being the eldest of five siblings and after spending much of her childhood helping take care of her mother who had progressive MS, Joy moved away from her home town and chose to spend her adult life in California with her husband Dan and their boys. Joy missed her home town of Ogden, Utah however, and had desires to move closer to home prior to her passing. She missed her family and loved ones and would regularly let them know how much she cared by sending beautiful cards with hand written letters, telling of her love and her life, as well as gifts that showed she knew them, even if she didn’t get to see them as much as she would have wanted to. She was an amazing, daughter, mother, sister, aunt, wife and friend. Joy graduated from Ben Lomond High School in 1968 and shortly after graduation, in that same year, Joy married her high school sweetheart, Dan Wayne Clark, later to be sealed in the Oakland LDS temple. Joy & Dan lived in Ogden until after their eldest son, Todd was born. They then moved to California in 1971, before giving birth to their son’s Brett & Ryan. Joy spent her life career working in the medical field. Oh, the stories she could tell. It was Joy’s calling to help others. She truly gave her heart to all those who needed her, whether patient, doctor, family member or friend. When she retired, she gave the rest of her life to her husband, kids & grandchildren. Joy loved spending time with her kids and her grandchildren. They were everything to her. She loved making photo scrap books for her grandkids, and building LEGOS and other things with them. She enjoyed attending their games and rooting them on. She was a very proud grandma. As a child, Joy’s father taught her how to have a green thumb. She loved having a garden and it was always filled with fresh vegetables, fruits, and flowers. She loved to read and over the years collected and read a plethora of books, often sharing them with those she thought would also love and benefit from them. Joy loved singing and she passed that skill on to her granddaughters. Joy had a strong love of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation. She was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, holding many callings over the years, of which Primary was her favorite. She had a firm belief that she would be with her parents again someday and looked forward to seeing them. Joy was not averse to suffering in this life. Not only was she suffering from heart issues, but she had a plethora of other ailments that made it difficult for her to get around and do the things many of us take for granted. Despite this, Joy was very positive through her pain. She was a very hopeful woman who never wanted to inconvenience others and because of this, she struggled at accepting help. As she prepared to sell her home in the months prior to her passing, she had to learn to accept help from family, friends and members of the church. She left this world knowing that she was loved by many who wanted to see her succeed. Joy is survived by her husband Dan, their sons Todd (Amy) Clark and their children Callie, Kami, Alyse & Jake, Brett (Melissa) Clark and their children Brady, Kodi and Corie, and Ryan (JoeAnna) Clark and their sons Logan and Garrett; her siblings Steve (Jan) Turley, Kirk (Barbara) Turley, Raelene (Bryan) Cutler, and Ted (Brenda) Turley; many nieces, cousins and others who loved Joy dearly. She is proceeded in death by her parents Francis Eugene and Donna (Moore) Turley, many aunts of whom she saw as surrogate mothers and many uncles, of whom all will be so happy to see Joy again. Joy was a devoted wife and mother, an exceptional grandmother, a gracious daughter, loving sister, an amazing aunt and a true friend to so many. Joy loved and cared for everyone she called her family. Her joyful spirit will be deeply missed. A viewing will be held from 10 A.M. to 11 A.M. with Funeral services to follow on June 10, 2026 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, located at 6711 Seasons Drive, Elk Grove, CA 95758. An interment cemetery service with family and close friends will be held at 10 A.M. on June 13, 2026 at The Lindquist Memorial Gardens Cemetery, located at 1718 Combe Rd, South Ogden, UT 84403. Flowers can be sent to the East Lawn Funeral Home for the funeral at 9189 E. Stockton Boulevard, Elk Grove, CA 95624 or for the graveside service to Lindquist Mortuary at 1718 Combe Rd, South Ogden, UT 84403.