Posted on 01/07/2020
Shaina Flores Joyce, beloved child of Christ, wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend went to rest in the presence of her hope and joy, Jesus on 25 December 2019.
Shaina graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. She served for 8 years, after which she served in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Shaina’s career took her to Texas and around the globe until she settled with her family in Virginia. Shaina loved to run, a pastime that began in high school and continued throughout her life, including two marathons and numerous half-marathons and 10Ks. Her love of running was contagious, and she made even exercise an opportunity to pour into the lives of the people around her, pulling them into her world at a healthy pace.
Shaina gave her time and her heart to the local church and served as a deacon of member care at Hampton Roads Fellowship along with her husband Kevin. She hosted breakfasts and baby showers, blessed families with unexpected desserts, lavished love on newborns, and welcomed hundreds of newcomers, making each feel as if she or he had made a new best friend. She embodied what it means to creatively serve members of the church so that they felt particularly loved and was willing to jump in and serve wherever there was a need. Like the Savior she loved, Shaina served not out of compulsion but out of joy, even despite great physical pain.
Shaina was a loving partner to Kevin, lighting up the room with him at Navy Balls, Lionsbridge soccer matches, and cruise ship Newlywed Games. In their 15 years of marriage they worked together in church planting, building a business, creating a welcoming home, and raising their boys Asher, Silas, and Ezra. Shaina’s strong spirit has left its mark on each of the boys: Asher carries her fierce determination, Silas her thoughtful generosity, and Ezra her playful sense of fun and joy. In their neighborhood, Shaina drew another community to herself with her kindness and welcoming smile as well as her enthusiasm for donuts, tiaras, and a good bargain. Every year her neighborhood looked forward to Shaina’s intricate family Halloween costumes. All who knew her carry memories of this rare and wonderful woman.
Shaina Nicole Flores was born on December 16, 1981 in Oceanside, CA. She was preceded in death by her mother, Evelyn Maldonado Flores and leaves behind her father, Jose Flores and stepmother, Claudia Ross Flores; brother, Jose, sister-in-law Eileen, niece, Elena and nephew, Jose Jr. Flores, brother, Andrew and sister-in-law Rachel Flores, and sister, Rachel Flores, as well as in-laws Lori and Ed Joyce, Kimberly and Joe Runkel, and niece Emma Runkel. She is also mourned by her large extended family, the present and past congregation of Hampton Roads Fellowship, and the Hilton and Newport News communities, as well as the many lives she touched around the world.
Memorial Service: 11:00 a.m., Saturday, January 11, 2020
Location: Hampton Roads Fellowship
Weymouth Funeral Home & Crematory
12746 Nettles Drive
Newport News, VA
(757) 930-2222
weymouthfh@aol.com
https://www.weymouthfuneralhome.com/shaina-flores-joyce