Joy Joann (Daniels) Smith, 72, of Marrero, Louisiana, formerly of Arcola, Illinois, passed away at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at home, surrounded by her loving family, after a courageous battle with lung cancer.

A memorial service at Shrader Funeral Home in Arcola, Illinois, on Saturday, September 12, at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in the Arcola Cemetery.

Joy was the second child born to Patricia Empson and Leroy Daniels on September 21, 1953, in Mattoon, Illinois. She spent most of her life in nearby Arcola, the town she considered home, and eventually settling in Marrero, Louisiana.

Joy married William Dean Westenhaver Sr. in 1971, and their son, Bill Westenhaver, was born in 1973. She later married Phillip “Bubba” Smith in 1980; he preceded her in death in 2014.

Joy dedicated her life to service and to the people around her, often putting others’ needs before her own. Whether she was working in a donut shop as a young woman, handcrafting shoes at the Brown Shoe Factory, tending bar, doing hair, or taking on various roles at the Thomas Monahan Company in Arcola, she brought the same steady work ethic and warmth to every job. Her love of people shone brightest in the years she spent as a hostess and cashier in restaurants and convenience stores, and later as she rose from hostess to general manager at the Arcola Hen House.

After Bubba’s passing, Joy moved to Louisiana in 2015 to be closer to her son, and her younger sister, Katherine. The following year, she coordinated her older sister Sue’s move from California to Louisiana as well. In New Orleans she worked in VIP security at the Superdome and had the honor of meeting Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, Toby Keith, and many other artists.

She was also preceded in death by her grandparents, her parents, her sisters Sue Daniels and Phyllis Shonkwiler, her brothers Jesse and Jim Shonkwiler.

Joy is survived by her son, Bill Westenhaver of Dallas, Texas; her younger sister, Katherine Carter of Marrero, Louisiana; her younger brother, Keith Shonkwiler of Ellsworth, Wisconsin; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Arcola Foundation at arcolafoundation.org.