Joyce Earline Bowles, 84, of Crystal City died Sept. 9, 2026, at her home of 54 years. At an early age, Mrs. Bowles's family moved to Texas, where she made lifelong friendships. They moved back to Missouri, where she graduated from Louisiana High School in 1959. She then attended Quincy Beauty Academy. She married her husband on June 11, 1961. They moved to Shawnee, Okla., where she worked in one of the top hair styling salons. She was used as a hair model in several hair shows. She and her husband moved back to Missouri to raise their family. She sold wigs, doing wig shows all over the area. She eventually opened her own Salon in the basement of her home in 1973, where she continued for 47 years. Working from home made her the neighborhood babysitter. If neighborhood kids were sick, she would pick them up. She was a Christian and a Sunday school teacher for 55 years. She was a camp counselor at Bates Creek for several years and was also a member of Faith Baptist Church in Festus. She enjoyed taking her grandkids on vacation and even named her trips G.P. (grandparents) Vacation Land Tours. She would send her grandkids an itinerary the week before they left to make it more fun. She would always make sure they had matching T-shirts listing the trips from previous years. She organized a new chapter of the Red Hatters and enjoyed volunteering for the Red Cross. She loved taking pictures, especially of animals and flowers.
Aside from her biological children, she had several “chosen children.” Whether they were refugees, troubled teens, kids from a troubled home or just neighborhood kids that needed extra love, many of these kids remained close through their adulthood. Later in life, she brought two young boys, Ming Jie and Ming Fa, into her home and raised them as her own for 10 years. Born Dec. 24, 1941, in Louisiana, Mo., she was the daughter of the late Anna May “Annie” (Ulrich) and Charles Bryan Couch.
She is survived by her husband of 65 years: Charles Dudley Bowles; two children: Charlene DeeAnn (Dale) Borel of Salem and JohnDavid Bowles of Crystal City; two grandchildren: Chana Megan Moreland of St. James and Daniel Borel of Denver, Colo.; four great-grandchildren: Gavin, Ashton, Jack and Bella; a brother: Paul (Janet) Couch of Louisiana; a sister: Jeannea Robidas of Bartlett, Tenn.; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by a sister: Janice Couch.
Visitation is scheduled from 4-7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, at Vinyard Funeral Home, 616 W. Main St., in Festus. Funeral services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Curryville City Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Faith Baptist Church. Arrangements are under the direction of Vinyard Funeral Home.