Obituary - Joy Mae (Kite) Mowatt Sawyer

Joy passed peacefully from this life into Glory on April 15, 2025, at the age of 88, in Oro Valley, AZ. She was born to Raymond and Irene Kite on August 14, 1936, in McCloud, CA. Joy graduated from McCloud High School in 1954, married Donald Mowatt, and they moved to Mount Shasta, CA, where they raised their family.   

Joy loved to cook from scratch (including grinding wheat for weekly bread and using home-preserved foods that were organically grown), cooked for the senior lunch program at Mount Shasta City Park, and later worked at the Tree House Restaurant for many years. Her cinnamon rolls were a sought-after treat at the Coffee Connection in Mount Shasta. She played the piano, sang in the Methodist church choir and with the Sweet Adelines, was a T.O.P.S. member, loved to sew, quilt, and garden, and was an avid Tole painter.

Joy married her second husband, Robert (Bob) Sawyer, in 1983, and the two loved to work together with Habitat for Humanity and on church-building projects with MAPS RV Volunteers. They moved to Fallon, NV, where they were extremely active with their SDA church and Sabbath school, surrounding themselves with many close friends who were like family.

After the passing of her beloved husband in 2013, Joy moved to Oro Valley, AZ, to be near her daughter and son-in-law. They often took short trips together and, in recent years, played board games together daily, and often with friends.  She maintained her faith regularly with bible studies and kept in touch with a couple of high school friends and cousins.

Joy was preceded in death by her parents, her son Steven Mowatt, and daughter-in-law Cathy Mowatt. Joy is survived by her daughters Sherry Olivier and Kathleen Olds, son Doug Mowatt, stepson Bob Sawyer and stepdaughter Ivy Diezel, and nine grandchildren. Also surviving her are Joy’s brothers Dick, David, and Dale Kite; former sister-in-law Carol McDaniel; and their families.

No services will be held at this time. A celebration of life will be held in Arizona at a later date.  May her memory be a blessing for all who knew and loved her.