Joyce Lynette Sanchez

Joyce Lynette Sanchez went home to her Heavenly Father on August 24, 2026, at the age of 44. Born September 13, 1981, at Walter Reed Hospital to Jose Luis Sanchez and Elizabeth "Ellie" Alvarez Laborde, she built her life on a foundation of the truth contained in the scriptures. To know her was to experience the joy, peace, and love described in her life verse, Philippians 4:4-9.

Joyce was a devoted wife and mother above all else. She often stated she would follow her husband, David, to the moon and back, and together their life spanned across six states over more than sixteen years. Drawing on her "mother hen" skills developed administering to her younger siblings (Joellie and Jose), she invested herself passionately in her two children, Lyle and Lucia. Together they embraced life as an epic adventure, traveling across six continents from the peaks of the Himalayas to the depths of the Great Barrier Reef. Whether descending a black diamond run in Jackson Hole, rafting the Colorado River, surfing the waves of Maui, or climbing the rocks of Joshua Tree, Joyce refused to give in to fear. The courage that she brought into this world bolstered everyone around her.

Joyce's early life forged a path through Panama, Peru, Brazil, and the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, following her father's career as an infectious disease researcher with the U.S. government. After turning down Princeton to attend the University of Maryland, Joyce completed her medical school and residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She then went on to train in Infectious Disease at Stanford and the University of Minnesota before taking her first job at the Mayo Clinic. She brought her love of exploration to the Medical College of Wisconsin, founding the travel medicine clinic there. During the turmoil and division of the COVID-19 pandemic, she offered the wisdom and unity that a fearful country badly needed.

Her steadfast faith was evident to everyone she encountered, and her leadership in Bible Study Fellowship brought guidance to several generations of women.

In her final chapter, Joyce faced an aggressive cancer with the same fearless faith she carried to every summit and down every river. Though the disease ultimately took her life, it never touched her spirit or shook her hope.

Joyce is survived by her devoted husband, David Joyce; her cherished children, Lyle and Lucia; her mother, Elizabeth "Ellie" Alvarez Laborde; her father, Jose Luis Sanchez; and her beloved siblings, Jose and Joellie Sanchez, not to mention a host of beloved in-laws, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Joyce's life will be held on October 3, 2026, at Hope Church in Albuquerque.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made in Joyce's honor to Bible Study Fellowship or RETpositive.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

- Philippians 4:4