Joy Saunders Lundberg

Joy Saunders Lundberg was born on January 30, 1936 in Ogden, Utah to Clarence Rueben Saunders and Opal Wyoming Crouch. She was the fourth of nine children and the oldest daughter. At age 11 the family moved to the town of Vale, Oregon. They lived on a 160 acre farm where they raised potatoes, sugar beets, and corn. Joy attended Vale Union Hight School and graduated in 1954. While there she was a cheerleader. Joy then went south to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where she roomed with three young women who were strangers to her and happened to be from Washington, D.C.. It was through them that she met her future husband Gary. They dated and fell deeply in love. At the end of that quarter, Joy returned home to work. The courtship proceeded, mostly long distance, and on September 1, 1955 they were marred in the Salt Lake Temple. Joy and Gary settled in Provo as Gary had two years to complete his degree. In 1957, the degree was realized along with his commission in the United States Air Force. Joy accompanied Gary as he went through pilot training during which Joy learned aircraft emergency procedures as she quizzed her husband. They spent seven years in the Air Force during which they lived in San Antonio, Texas, McAllen, Texas, Laredo, Texas, Glendale, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Ramstein AB. Germany, and Clovis, New Mexico. Gary and Joy moved to Los Angeles, California while Gary Worked for IBM. They then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and settled in Provo, Utah. While in Salt Lake, Joy served as PTA President and successfully lobbied on Capitol hill for safe neighborhood sidewalks. She was called to be on the Church Curriculum Committee writing lessons for the Primary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint and she served there for five years, one of which she was chairman. She was also asked to write scripts for the Tabernacle Choir broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word, and did so for seven years. Upon moving to Provo, Joy began to collaborate with her cousin Janice Kapp Perry with Joy writing lyrics and Janice the music. Together they wrote over 200 published songs including two cantatas. In 1979 a stake president approached them to write a musical presentation to encourage the youth to serve missions. They did so and expanded it into full length play which was titled “It’s A Miracle”. Together with their husbands, young children, and a talented cast. they traveled the United States for 4 years performing the show 239 times. Joy wrote, illustrated, and published two children’s books and also illustrated and wrote a series of poetry for the family. Joy and Gary co-authored seven books, the first of which was translated into German, Spanish, and Portuguese. They traveled extensively, for many years, presenting firesides in stakes throughout the United States and also Canada, Mexico, England, (and a few cruise ships), and taught classes, with Gary, at BYU Education week for 11 years. Joy has a firm testimony of Jesus Christ and loved to serve in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where ever she lived. She served as Relief Society president for servicemen's branch, Ramstein, Germany, counselor in the District Relief Society presidency, Germany, Primary President, Clovis, NM, counselor in Young Women's presidency, ward RS president, in the Edgemont 14th Ward and RS and youth teacher. She also served as an ordinance worker in the Provo Temple for 5 years. Most of all, Joy was a devoted wife and mother. She was very proud of her five children, twenty-three grandchildren, and 22 great grandchildren. Joy is preceded in death by her parents, and fiver brothers (Lorin, Lee, Wayne, Darrell, Keith), son in law George Bruhns, daughter Carol and her husband Kim Drummond, and grandson Devin Lundberg and is survived by his children; Michael (Hyun), Lynda Bruhns, John (Renee), and Paul (Natalie). Interment will follow services in the Provo City Cemetery military section at 610 South State Street.

Joy Saunders Lundberg

January 30, 1936 - June 16, 2026