Joy Dolan

Joy Marie Dolan of Ft. Collins, Co., a devoted and much-loved mother and grandmother, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, September 4, at the age of 76. She died after a courageous battle with cancer. Joy Marie was born on March 17, 1932, in Mapleton, Iowa to Jesse and Eleanor Uhl. She grew up in Mapleton and at a young age moved to Texas to pursue her education and career. There, Joy met and married R. Travis Miller, Sr., of Houston, Texas, and their lives were blessed with four children. While Joy had little time for hobbies outside of her voracious appetite for reading, she always found time to take on leadership roles at her church, All Saints Episcopal Church in Galena Park, Texas, and at her children’s’ schools. If there was a project that required passion, dedication, hard work, and fulfillment, Joy was the first to volunteer and often led the charge. After her youngest child became of school age, Joy returned to work and began her training to be a respiratory therapist. Her career in the field of respiratory therapy took her to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she achieved significant success owning her own company and serving a number of hospitals in rural Louisiana. Yet, never one to give up on a life-long dream, Joy returned to school to earn her degree in nursing. Shortly after graduation, she joined the orthopedic team at Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto, CA., where she worked until her retirement. Joy married Paul Dolan on October 28, 1973, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And later, Joy and Paul moved to Fort Collins in 1993, to be closer to her daughters and grandchildren. Joy is survived by her two daughters, Suzanne (and Edward) Steketee of Fort Collins and Camilla Bailey of Castle Pines North, CO; her two sons, Robert “Travis” (and Pam) Miller of Fort Worth, TX and Richard (and Vivian) Miller of Galveston, TX; seven grandchildren, Shelley Mesh (and Justin), Mark Novick (and Jennifer), Jennifer Drummond, T.J. Pigott (and Misty), Candace Fernandez (and Reuben), Brett Tise, Joy Nicole Steketee; nine great-grandchildren, Will, Raegan, Kailyn, Zachary, Reuben, Jr., Shane, Blake, Maya, and Ari; her siblings, Howard Uhl of Hampton, Iowa, Carol Swenk of Lake Mary, FL, Kathryn “Kay” Cadwell of Fair Oaks, CA, Lucille Larson of Smithland, IA, Lawrence Uhl of Sparta, NC, Richard “Dick” Uhl of Pickerington, OH, Phyllis Ahart of Coon Rapids, MN and Gary Uhl of Elkhart, IA. Joy was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Paul Dolan, brother Paul Uhl, brother Clyde Uhl, and sister Darlene Hurst. A celebration of Joy’s life will be held on Saturday, September 13, at 1:00 PM at Harmony Presbyterian Church. Joy’s cremated remains will be scattered privately in the Snowy Range Mountains of Wyoming.

Joy Dolan

March 17, 1932 - September 4, 2008