Joyce Marie McBride 

Funeral service for Joyce Marie McBride, 85, of Verden, Oklahoma, will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, May 4, 2026, at Southern Oaks Church of Christ in Chickasha, Oklahoma with Ron Blankinship officiating. Interment will follow at Alfalfa Cemetery in Alfalfa, Oklahoma. Services are under the direction of McRay Funeral Home.

Joyce Marie McBride was born November 21, 1940, in Colony, Oklahoma, to James Marion Ward and Oma Exel Foster Ward. She died April 29, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with her husband by her side.

Joyce grew up surrounded by her three brothers and two sisters, forming close bonds that remained important throughout her life. On August 7, 1964, she married the love of her life, Carlos Dale McBride, in Colony, Oklahoma. Together they built a life rooted in faith, commitment, and quiet devotion. After living in Anadarko for two years, they made their home in Verden, where Joyce lived for the next 59 years.

Joyce was a dedicated and dependable woman who spent many years serving her community through her work. She was employed at First National Bank in Cordell before continuing her career at First State Bank in Anadarko, where she worked faithfully for over 35 years. She took pride in her work and in the relationships she built along the way.

Her faith was an important part of her life, and she found comfort and fellowship in her church family at Southern Oaks Church of Christ. Joyce will be remembered for her steady presence, her kind heart, and her unwavering love for her family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Oma Ward; and her siblings, Everette Ward, Doyle Ward, Averille Ward Kirby, and Edwin Ward.

Joyce is survived by her loving husband, Carlos McBride of Verden, Oklahoma; her sister, Jimmie Ruth Ferguson of Paris, Texas; and numerous nieces, nephews, dear friends, and her church family at Southern Oaks Church of Christ.

She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew her.