Joyce Faye Adam

Our cherished and beloved Joy Faye Kortemier Adam went to be with her Lord and Savior on June 9th, 2025. The Lord gave her a full measure of strength, comfort and peace as she fought her battle with cancer. Gratefully, she was able to celebrate her 85th birthday with her entire family, the day before the Lord called her home.

Joyce Faye Kortemier was born on June 8, 1941 in Freeport, Illinois to William and Faye (Painter) Kortemier. She graduated from Freeport High School in 1959 and attended Lindenwood College in St. Charles, Missouri her freshman year. She then decided to follow in her brother's footsteps, and transferred to Southern Methodist University where she graduated from business school with a BBA in 1963.

After graduation, she stayed in Dallas where she met the love of her life, Gilbert Austin Adam. On September 3, 1966, they married at Perkins Chapel on the SMU campus. Gilbert was a comptroller in the oil business, so shortly thereafter, they began a journey that took them to New Orleans (where Karla Joy was born), Memphis, San Antonio (where Austin was born), and Houston. After eleven years away, they were thrilled to return home to Dallas in 1978, where they lived in their Highland Park home for over 44 years.

Joy Faye and Gilbert had an amazing and loving partnership that formed everlasting memories for their two children and six grandchildren to cherish over their 55 years of marriage. This same shared commitment allowed them to work together for over 35 years in their family real estate business.

They were long-time members of Highland Park Presbyterian Church and raised their children there. In 1991 they both became Founding Members of Park Cities Presbyterian Church. Joy Faye was also a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, Slipper Club of Dallas and the Dallas Cotillion Club, as well as a charter member of the Dallas 500 Club, the Dallas Ski Club, and the Park City Club.

Joy Faye lived life in full color, squeezing every ounce of joy possible into her 85 years on this earth. Aptly named, Joy had an incredibly joyful disposition - always a smile for everyone, a hilarious (though possibly not always appropriate) sense of humor, a laugh that was contagious and sincere words of encouragement and love.

She was a devoted wife, a hands-on mother and an active grandmother. Her heritage, and her legacy were that of faith, love and joy. To know her was to know a woman who poured her heart, soul and time into her children, and later into her grandchildren. She made an intentional choice to be deeply rooted in their everyday moments. She was invested in being present for them. She didn't just raise her children. She walked alongside them and made sure they knew they were unconditionally loved every step of the way.

Joy Faye loved animals. All of them. And no matter what animal was brought home by her children, she would never turn it away - the Adam household had plenty of 'pets' - domestic and wild. Dogs, cats, birds, lizards, fish, hermit crabs, rabbits, snakes, turtles, ferrets, chinchillas, a chicken and even bee hives from which she regularly harvested honey.

She was a passionate reader and devoured books - fiction, non-fiction, documentaries, biographies - whatever was highly recommended by people she trusted, she read. Even when she was going through chemo treatments regularly, she read voraciously and could easily finish an entire novel in one day. Fittingly, she was a long time, and enthusiastic, patron of both the Highland Park and the University Park libraries.

Her entire life, Joy Faye was always up for an adventure of any type. She loved riding horses, or even just being around them in her later years, boating, water skiing, fishing and all things that involved spending time with her family on the water. Her family will always remember her sailing in the Caribbean, riding camels in Egypt, parasailing in Mexico, flying on the Goodyear blimp, swimming in Piranha Lake in Ecuador and so much more. More than anything, she loved to swim. She loved being in the water - pool, lake, river or ocean. Even as she fought through cancer treatment after cancer treatment, she swam every day she could. Wherever the water and the sun intersected was always her happy place.

Naturally, she relished travel adventures as well. Her and Gilbert almost never travelled without their children as they felt it was an irreplaceably educational opportunity and as a result, their children have many fantastic, and some hilarious, memories and stories from trips. She loved to visit places and countries that were not popular tourist destinations. In short, she definitely took the road less traveled...and loved every minute.

That being said, she always had a soft spot in her heart for Mexico. Joy Faye had a true love of Mexican culture - the Spanish language, travelling throughout the country, her relatives in Cuernavaca, the architecture, the fashion, the furnishings, the décor and of course, the food and margaritas. Even her own signature style was inspired by her joyful spirit and love for its traditions, whether she was wearing her favorite Mexican dresses or simply embracing bright, vibrant colors.

She is survived by her daughter, Karla Joy Adam Trusler (Alex); son, Austin William Adam (Kara); and six grandchildren: Abby, Rhett, and Blake Trusler and Bryn, Kylie, and Quint Adam. And her brother, the Honorable William F. Kortemier II of Rockwall. She is predeceased by her husband, Gilbert Austin Adam and her parents William and Faye Kortemeier.

The family expresses their gratitude and love to her devoted caregiver and friend, Christine Namwaya. We have all been blessed by Christine since she became a part of our lives over five years ago.

The family would also like to thank the staff at UT Southwestern for the compassionate care provided to Mama Joy as she reached the end of her life. Their kindness, patience, and medical expertise gave our family so much comfort during an incredibly difficult season. Knowing she was in such capable and gentle hands brought us great peace. We extend a special debt of gratitude to Dr. Praveen Ramakrishnan and Dr. Yazan Madanat. It was their exceptional care that gifted her a beautiful encore of life-and gave us all more precious time together-following her initial lymphoma diagnosis. We are forever grateful to you.

A celebration of Joy Faye's life will be held in the chapel at Park Cities Presbyterian Church on June 24th at 4pm. To celebrate her joyful, bright spirit and her lifelong love for Mexican culture, we will be wearing Guayaberas and Mexican dresses...or other vibrant colors that she would love. We welcome each of you to skip traditional funeral attire and join us, if you would like to do so.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to

Camp Sweeney

PO Box 918

Gainsville, Texas 76241

www.campsweeney.org