Joyce A. Bonifant

Joyce A. Bonifant, age 88, of Strasburg, passed away on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, in Hennis Care Centre, Bolivar, following a period of declining health.

Born on May 7, 1937, in Strasburg, she was the daughter of the late Emerson and Freda (Hess) Williams. Joyce graduated from Strasburg High School in 1955, where she was a cheerleader. Later that year, on April 20, she wed the love of her life, Max O. Bonifant. Joyce and Max had five children, and the family lived on a small farm just west of Strasburg. The couple shared 65 years of marriage before Max’s passing on October 3, 2020.

Joyce went on to study nursing and became a licensed practical nurse. She dedicated 25 years of her life to working at the Applecreek Developmental Center in Wayne County, retiring in 1992.

She was a loving, caring wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Joyce will be dearly missed by her children, Jody (Randy) Troyer, Scott (Jodi), Chad (Michelle), and Tod Bonifant, all of Strasburg; her daughter-in-law, January Bonifant of Millersburg; her eleven grandchildren; her twelve great-grandchildren; her nine step-grandchildren; her eleven step-great-grandchildren; her sisters, Marsha Mann and Gail Owen, both of Strasburg; and her nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents and her beloved Max, Joyce was preceded in death by her son, Rod Bonifant, and her brother, Larry Gene Williams.

Joyce will be cremated through the care of the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home & Crematory, Dover, and her family will hold their own private time of remembrance.

Donations in Joyce’s memory may be made to the Strasburg United Methodist Church, where she was a member. The address is 206 Second St. N.W., Strasburg, Ohio 44680.