As her mother before her called it, the heavenly “peach orchard” welcomed a new resident on December 9, 2013, when Joyce Maxine Metzger Samsel of Dayton arrived. She was 89.Best known as Joy, she was the president of Where In Nevada, the family-operated organization that sponsors the annual Nevada Day Treasure Hunt. Traditionally, she wrote the opening clue each year. The 2014 hunt will be dedicated to her memory. It is impossible for a brief obituary to truly capture a person’s spirit but, for the record and future genealogists, Joy was born December 4, 1924, in a houseboat on the Sacramento River Delta and grew up in San Pedro, California. On July 5, 1946, she married Earl “Sam” Samsel, a Merchant Marine. They moved to Sandy, Oregon, in 1966 where Joy did administrative work for the Society of St. Paul. Before retiring in 1987, she became a licensed nursing home administrator and saved a small facility from state decertification. Initially, she retired to Rockaway Beach, Oregon, but moved to Nevada in 2001 to live with her daughter, Laurie Olson.Joy was preceded in death by her parents, nine siblings and husband. She leaves behind three children and their families, who she always encouraged to “live long and prosper.” In Nevada - Daughter Laurie Olson and son-in-law Pete, Jesse and Hydie Olson, and Jennifer, Chris, Skyler and Espen Walker. In Oregon - Daughter Leslie Smith and son-in-law Terry, Rachel and Travis Barber, Rhianna and Mike Wilson, and (in Montana) Lucas Smith. In Washington - Son Jesse and daughter-in-law Lori, Eddie Samsel, and (in Oregon) Cary and Kelsey Samsel. Remembrances should be in the form of donations to High Sierra Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 548, Portola, CA, 96122. No services are scheduled.
