Joy Deaderick

JOY SYLVESTER DEADERICK

Joy Sylvester Deaderick of Santa Fe, New Mexico, passed away on Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at her home surrounded by family and loved ones.

Joy was born on March 12, 1928 in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of Gladney Sylvester and Joy Smith Sylvester. After the family moved to Colorado Springs, Joy was influenced not only by her father, who painted and sculpted, but her uncle, Tabor Utley, who taught painting at the Broadmoor Art Academy, as well as her aunt, Grace Sylvester Utley, who owned a fashionable millinery shop in the Antlers Hotel. With these influences, Joy was immersed in the creative arts from a young age and began ballet dancing at the age of six. She remained devoted to dance, theatre arts and education throughout her life.

After moving with her family to Laramie, Wyoming in 1959, Joy was a major force and influence in dance education in the community and on the campus of the University of Wyoming developing the dance department. As a ballerina, dance instructor and choreographer, Joy created many original ballet productions in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Joy welcomed everyone in her classes and taught dance to students ranging from youth through college ages.

Each Christmas, Joy directed The Nutcracker Ballet for the Laramie community at the university in collaboration with her husband who developed the set, arranged lighting and designed playbill art work for the productions.

In her dance classes, Joy’s efforts and instruction technique gained notoriety and boasted 100 student dancers per semester class at the university to also include the University of Wyoming football team. Her accomplishments were highlighted in an article published by Sports Illustrated. The popularity of these classes and Joy’s tenacity led to restructuring of the arts department to include theatre and dance based upon her core curriculum.

Joy was an avid outdoors woman who enjoyed gardening, bird watching, skiing and hiking in the mountains surrounding the Laramie area.

Once retired, Joy and her husband moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where they enjoyed the warm climate and the local art and culture. Joy rekindled her love of painting from the high desert landscape and produced a large body of work.

Joy is survived by her husband, Joseph Deaderick, daughter, Karen (Jon) Ritchey of Pueblo Colorado, two sons, Alfred (Katherine) Deaderick of Lethbridge, Alberta and Garland Deaderick of Laramie, Wyoming; seven grandchildren, Damond (Nora) Gallagher, Justin (Angela) Ritchey, Nicole Deaderick, Jessica (Carl) Schumacher, Nathan Ritchey, Christopher Deaderick, Sarah Sherman and great-grandson, Jay Ritchey.

As per her request, there will be no service. At a later date her ashes will be spread in the mountains near her beloved Laramie. Memorials in her honor may be made to the SPCA-Society of the Prevention to Cruelty to Animals.