Joyce Radford Komkov

Joyce Radford Komkov was born February 19, 1924, in Long Eaton England, the fourth child of John and Eliza Radford. She married Vadim Komkov on April 27th, 1946, at the end of World War ll. He was serving as a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Their first daughter, Valerie, was born in 1950, after which they moved to Johannesburg, South Africa where their second daughter, Stephanie, was born in 1952. Vadim's job as an engineer for the Rhokana Copper Mining company took them to Kitwe/Nkana, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) where their third daughter, Andrea, was born in 1956. In 1957 the family immigrated to the United States, where Vadim became a professor of Engineering at the University of Utah, and where their sons, Leon and Michael were born, in 1959 and 1961.The family's travels then took them to Madison, Wisconsin; Tallahassee, Florida; and Lubbock, Texas, where Vadim taught mathematics for many years at Texas Tech University. Joyce made many friends in Lubbock. She joined a bowling league, she belonged to the British Wives club and the International Wives club at Texas Tech and was also a founding member of the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center after befriending founder, Carol Lee. Joyce loved animals and donated faithfully to many organizations including SPWRC, the ASPCA and Seeing Eye Guide Dogs for the Blind. She also supported the Paralyzed Veterans’ organization. She loved baking and was especially known for her traditional English Trifle at Christmas time. As a lover of the arts, she encouraged her children in dance and piano lessons and faithfully attended their concerts and recitals. Her children were everything to her and she took pride in all their accomplishments. The friends of her children were always made to feel welcome and accepted, even allowing her sons and their friends to form a rock band and practice their music in the family garage. 

Joyce is survived by her five children, Valerie, Stephanie, Andrea, Leon, and Michael, her four grandchildren, Ian and Naomi Hill, and John and Laura Komkov, her two great grandchildren, Catherine and James Komkov, her son-in-law Glenn E Hill, and her daughters-in-law, Rebecca Komkov and Tina Chaney.