SLINGERLANDS — Joyce Pulliam Wallace was a determined woman who taught school while raising two sons as a single mother and then pursued a career in law in her middle age before enjoying travel with the husband she met in law school.

She died on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. She was 92.

Joyce was born on Sept. 9, 1931, the first daughter of seven children of Henry A. Pulliam and Charlotte Lawrence Pulliam Wilcoxen, in Schenectady.

“Honoring Joyce with the tribute she deserves is no small feat,” her family wrote. “At age 18, she left home, started her college education, joined the Marine Corps for three years, then went back to college. 

“She had a brief marriage in England, returned home, gave birth to a son, and resumed her college studies. After four years of parenting, part-time work, and full-time study, she received her master of science degree in education and started her career as a high school business teacher.

“She had another brief marriage, resulting in a second son. It was not an easy life, but she was dedicated to her sons, stretched every dollar, and benefited from the support of her family and friends.

“She taught at the Berne-Knox Central High School for 11 years. She realized, even with the responsibility as a single mother, that she wanted to take the next step and pursue her interest in law. So, she applied and was accepted at Albany Law School at the age of 40.

“She worked part-time in the law-school office, while attending. The rigors of law school can be challenging enough, without her additional burdens, but she continued the regimen she had done for years as a busy mother and teacher — early to bed, up at 3 a.m. to study and prepare.

“She graduated, passed the bar, and started her second career as a research attorney with the New York State Law Revision Commission.

“Also at Albany Law School, she met her future husband, Frank Wallace. They were a force together, with Frank’s history as an officer in the 101st Airborne in Europe in World War II and Joyce as a Marine sergeant at the time of the Korean War.

“They both had a ‘can-do’ attitude. With Frank, Joyce was able to relax a little and enjoy life to a higher degree. Together they sailed 10 fun-filled summers on the 34-foot Mucho Gusto from Westport, on Lake Champlain.

“After Joyce retired, they took up RVing. She and Frank moved to North Carolina and then Texas, as a home base. The United States was their ‘backyard,’ attending RV rallies all over the country. They became very active and had many friends in the Amateur Radio Chapter of the Family Motor Coach Association.

“Eventually, they built a home on her ancestral property in Altamont, where they summered. Joyce’s Saturday evening dinners became renowned by family and friends as the place to be for a great meal and conversation.

“They continued to travel, but in the later years of Frank’s life, Joyce tended to him, took over the RV driving and attended rallies until they couldn’t.

“As a single woman again at 81 and still loving the RV life, she got a smaller RV, learned about RVingWomen and joined the Texas Ramblin’ Roses. She enjoyed the camaraderie that she found in this group and, as she attended the rallies, her circle of friends grew.

“She continued this life until selling her last RV to a TRR friend in August last year, at the age of 91.  Only then did she move into the easier life of her Beverwyck apartment, where she had more time to enjoy her lifelong passion for reading murder mysteries, during her final year.

“Above all, Joyce valued all her friendships and enjoyed the time she was able to catch up with them.”

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Joyce Pulliam Wallace is survived by her sons, Ian (Lesa Clark) Richards and Rhys Burmann; by her siblings, Brown (Lois) Pulliam, Verity Parris, Faith Fogarty, Darcy Pulliam; and by many nieces, nephews, their families and her many friends.

Her husband, Francis X. Wallace Jr., died before her, as did her brothers, Todd (Linda) Pulliam and Vall (Doris) Pulliam.

She is also survived by Frank Wallace’s children, Charles (Bernadine) Wallace and Elizabeth (David) Worstell, and by numerous step-grandchildren. Frank’s son, Francis X Wallace III (Pete) died before her.

A private family memorial will be held and a celebration with family and friends at a later date.