Obituary – Joy Van Nostrand Brown
Joy Van Nostrand Brown passed away peacefully in her 99th year in the early hours of Friday, September 1, 2023. She died of natural causes at the home of her daughter, Pamela Vybiral, in Thurmond, N.C.
Joy was born on May 28, 1925, in Licking, Mo., to William and Lela (Boren) Clouse. She grew up on her family’s farm and attended high school in Licking. She graduated from Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State Teachers College) with a double major in English and Drama, and in Physical Education and Health.
Joy first taught in Brookfield, Mo. She relocated to Cabool, Mo., after her marriage in 1947 to Burr Van Nostrand (Mt. Vernon, Ohio).
Joy and Burr moved to Rolla, Mo., in 1948, where she taught at Rolla High School for more than 30 years. She taught English, physical education and health, and coached Rolla High School’s cheerleaders and women’s sports teams.
Joy was an active member of the Rolla community. She became an avid golfer at the Oak Meadow Country Club and participated in many tournaments. She was proud of her five holes-in-one. She was a member of PEO for many years, her bridge club, and the First Methodist Church before becoming an Episcopalian at Christ Episcopal Church. Her passions included reading, collecting antiques and volunteering.
In her retirement, Joy spent time in Rolla and in Weeki Watchi, Fla., until the age of 88 when she moved to Thurmond, N.C., to live with her daughter and son-in-law.
Joy is survived by her daughter, Pamela Vybiral; her son-in-law, Dr. Tomas Vybiral; her grandson, Nathan Burr Schlanker, of Winston Salem, N.C.; her granddaughter, Elizabeth June Schlanker, of Petaluma, Calif.; and her two great-granddaughters, Emerson Lela Rahimian and Farah Joy Rahimian, also of Petaluma, Calif.
Joy was preceded in death by her parents, William and Lela; her husband Burr, who died in 1974; her second husband, Everett Brown, who died in 2004; and her brothers, Doyle Clouse, of Rim Rock, Ariz., and Dorris Eugene Clouse, of Licking, Mo. She also is survived by her sister-in-law, Mrs. Arlene Clouse;, six nieces; and two nephews.
Joy’s memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, October 8, 2023, at the Galloway Episcopal Church in Elkin, N.C. Everyone who wishes to remember Joy is invited to attend.
Joy’s family asks that, instead of flowers, those who wish to remember make donations in her name to the Burr Van Nostrand Memorial Football Scholarship Fund. This memorial was created in 1974, by Joy and was very important to her as a way to honor her late husband. Since 1974 this fund has given a scholarship each year to an outstanding offensive lineman on the college football team that Burr coached for over twenty years.
Donations may be mailed to Burr R. Van Nostrand Memorial Scholarship Fund, G-2 Gale Bullman Building 705 W. 10th St. Rolla, MO 65409-0740 or Contact Susan Cochran, Miner Athletics cochransu@mst.edu; 573-341-4973; www.minerathletics.com
Online condolences may be made to www.elkinfuneralservice.com
Arrangements entrusted to Elkin Funeral Service.
