Joya Maxwell

Joya Maxwell passed away peacefully at the age of 81 on October 29th, 2024, surrounded by her beloved family. She leaves behind her daughter Kimberly Beauchamp and son-in-law Michael Beauchamp; granddaughters Lily and Scarlett Beauchamp; brother Jay Coffey (Linda); sisters Anita Coffey (Phil Shuler) and Gailjean Gallon (d. Richard William Gallon, III); and many cherished cousins, nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her great love, David Peterson, her parents, George and Roberta Coffey, and her cherished great niece, Kira Brown-Augdal.

Joya was born in Baltimore, Maryland, where she spent her childhood in and around the Chesapeake, first learning to swim for survival and later working as a lifeguard. She held many jobs in her youth, but the one she was most proud of was modeling for 17 Magazine.

She also worked at a local farm, where she finally acquiesced to meeting her brother’s best friend, Dave. It turned out Dave was OK, despite his associations. They married just after he graduated from Duke University, and they moved to Chicago, followed later by California, western Maryland, North Carolina, and eventually Rhode Island, where they made their permanent home.

Joya always loved children and welcoming them to their home was something she took seriously and non-negotiably. Over the years, she and Dave had many foster children, and she even agreed to opening their house to seven teenage boys whose group home had to be immediately shuttered for months’ long repairs—a unilateral decision she made while Dave was out of town on business. Joya loved lending a hand to the boys, and Kim loved having the siblings she always craved.

Joya always relished helping others, leading her to hold many positions and careers throughout her life, including youth counselor, gifted and talented school program volunteer, realtor, craniosacral therapist, and interfaith minister.

Above all, Joya loved with her whole heart. Her family was—literally—her life. From her daughter’s first moment of consciousness, Joya swaddled her in love. Everyone witnessed Joya’s unflinching devotion to her daughter, who she backed relentlessly—Kim’s own personal hero in a Mom cape. She taught her to seek solutions to every problem, because one always exists. And if at first you don’t get the answer you want, press on till you do. Unless it was your father that gave you the ‘NO,’ in which case you were to respect it.

Throughout Kim’s school career, Joya championed the mental health day long before it was in vogue—because health on all counts matters. She was also known to steal her daughter from school for “more educational” experiences, like the time Kim got to dress up in Victorian garb and drink hot wassail at a Christmas party at Canonchet Farm. Kim’s photo in the newspaper gave them both away. It didn’t deter Joya from doing it again, though. Like the time they played hooky to go see the Mary Cassatt exhibit at RISD. She knew what was important.

Joya loved her town of Narragansett second only to her family, helping spearhead The Towers restoration effort and fighting to preserve green spaces and historic landmarks in the town through her work on the Land Conservancy Trust. She could be seen walking the beach at all times of year, blizzards and all, rightfully claiming her stake as a true Narragansettite.

Her love for Narragansett and its rich history extended to her loving restoration of their house, The Phoenix, on Kentara Green. In keeping with her welcoming persona, Joya opened the doors of their home as a Bed & Breakfast for years, hosting guests, officiating weddings, and helping mend aching hearts. Some guests returned faithfully every year for as long as the business ran, and her family still finds notes that her grateful guests left for her.

Joya traveled the world and brought back as many stories that stuck around over the years as the precious keepsakes she collected along the way. Kim still “remembers” the eat-off-the-ground cleanliness of Taipei, the flocks of children who descended on their car looking for a treat in Seoul, and the fleece-lined hills of New Zealand. Joya took her daughter everywhere, even when she wasn’t there.

Joya also had lots of adventures with her family, right up to the last couple years—trips they’ll never forget nor regret. Joya fell in love with Mexico when she traveled to Puerto Vallarta with the whole family in 2022 and later to Quintana Roo in 2023 with Scarlett and Kim. Lily, Joya, and Kim also took a special girls’ trip to St. Petersburg for a tamer getaway. In their travels, Joya sampled exotic new foods, chased wild dolphins, combed white sand beaches for shells and sea glass, cheered for baseball teams she’d never heard of before, explored art museums, traversed hole-riddled sidewalks, clung to boats as they sped through mangrove swamps, swam among giant stingrays, rode ferries to faraway tropical islands, ate desserts she always had room for, and crashed at the end of the day so they could do it all over again the next. She was down for anything, as long as they were together.

As much as Joya cherished her daughter, her granddaughters were the great loves of her life. She was present for both of their births and for every milestone and accomplishment and celebration since. The way her face lit up when she saw them is something you had to see to get. No matter how hard a day, getting to be with them melted her heart. They were her sunshine, and she fed off their light till they saw each other again.

Joya was also a talented and prolific artist, something she had more time for in her later years. People loved to admire her work, which first hung in local galleries and public spaces, and later adorned the walls of her apartment at The Seasons in East Greenwich, where they lovingly cared for her through her final days.

People would often marvel at how much they told Joya the first time they met her. She was a stellar listener. She made you feel heard, seen, and accepted. Joya didn’t look at good and bad parts of people; she loved the whole, without judgement.

Joya was all about love. Everyone who knew her speaks of what a gift it was to have her love you. She loved without anything coloring it. She saw people’s true spirit and helped them see it, too. A mirror of the soul, yes, that’s what defined her.

A celebration of life will be held privately at a later date.