Joye Ellen Frost, 66, from the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., died on March 12, 2018, in that city that she so loved, after a prolonged, valiant struggle with cancer.

 

Born June 3, 1951, in Weatherford, Texas, to Jack A. Frost and Maurine Fowler Frost, she and the Frost family grew up in several Texas towns: Falfurrias, Alpine, Weslaco, Abilene, and Georgetown. After graduating from high school in Abilene, Joye earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin, with her major reflecting her keen interest in society and culture, as well as her penchant for international travel. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and went on to earn a Master of Health Services Management from the University of Mary Hardin­Baylor, a choice reflecting her commitment to the betterment and welfare of society.

 

Joye Frost began her professional career as a Child Protective Services caseworker in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and went on to work in the victim assistance, healthcare, and disability advocacy fields for more than 35 years in the United States and Europe. She originally travelled to Germany in 1978 to visit her beloved aunt, Linda Stamschror, with whom she shared a close, sisterly relationship, and Linda’s husband Ron. It was through them that she met her future husband, Robert J. “Bob” Whatley, a warrant officer in the United States Army. It was also in Germany where Joye and Bob married, and where they had their only child, a cherished son, Aaron J. Whatley, born in Fulda on September 16, 1980. Joye, Bob, and Aaron spent several years living in Germany, with frequent trips to Italy (Tuscany, and the Vineyards, in particular), a country that Joye came to love. She became adept at speaking Italian and talked of Italy to the very end.

 

Upon returning to the States in 1993, Joye brought the Frost “resolve,” the “Texan in the girl” characteristic, and her own enduring passion and commitment to a professional career in human services. People for and with whom she worked all spoke of Joye’s unique ability to advocate fiercely on behalf of persons in need, while also engaging every ally, colleague and potential adversary with such grace and humor that she made everyone feel heard, appreciated and even charmed. She constantly fought for “yes,” pushing the envelope of what was considered possible, in an assertive—but kind—manner.

 

In 1998, while working at the Veterans Administration in Waco, Texas, a friend and prior boss from Joye’s Army Community Service in Germany days, Donna Ray, introduced Joye to Washington D.C., and helped her land her job at the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). Dealing with the aftermath of a divorce, and seeking the next stage in a life of meaning, Joye moved to Washington D.C., purchased a townhome in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, and spent the remainder of her life there. Not only did she come to love the city, her career with the OVC, and the neighborhood, but also she met a person who became her life partner, her soul mate: Al Stewart, a Director at the United States Department of Labor.

 

Joye served for almost two decades as a dedicated crime victims’ rights advocate and a visionary leader in the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). She began her career as a Program Specialist, and was promoted to Principal Deputy Director and Acting Director; then, in 2013, President Barack Obama appointed Joye as the OVC Director. In that capacity she continued to spearhead a number of initiatives, all of which expanded the reach and impact of the victim assistance field and increased their effectiveness, often by working to ensure that agencies and offices worked effectively together. Her mission was to empower all crime victims and to ensure that all victims had access to the best possible support services, particularly those victims who had historically faced insurmountable barriers as they sought the help they needed and deserved. In other words, Joye not only championed access to existing services, but her creative vision and professional understanding of the victim assistance field allowed her to dream big, to redefine how effective victim services are to be delivered, and fundamentally to transform the victim assistance field.

 

It is appropriate that, just as Joye Frost sought to preserve the dignity and honor of all human beings, especially the most vulnerable, the people with whom she worked honored her. Her work has been recognized and honored by numerous agencies and organizations across the United States, from small tribal victim assistance programs, to federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to nationally recognized victim advocacy organizations. For example, in 2017, Joye received the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Award from the Freedom Network USA for her unique contributions to combatting human trafficking and slavery in the United States.

 

Joye Ellen Frost believed in and lived public service, and she did so with formidable energy and commitment. There are many people in this country who have been victims of crime, or who will be in the future, who will never know the debt that they owe to Joye’s courageous, visionary, and compassionate leadership. She changed the landscape of this country for victims in profoundly meaningful ways; her professional legacy is now rooted across America—embedded in the work of thousands of victim advocates and victim services programs.

 

Joye brought that same courage and resilience to her battle against cancer, and maintained her wit, humor and humanity in its relentless face for over four years. She was buoyed by her family members, of course, with Al there day-in, day-out; sister Merrie intensely involved in her care; and Aaron and Al by her side at the end.

 

Her surviving family members know full well what Joye has done: for humanity, and for her family. We will miss the witty intellect, the energy and passion, the conversations over a gourmet meal and a good bottle of Italian wine. And yet, even as we miss her, we will remember and continue to honor her.

 

Joye is survived by her son, Aaron Whatley of Austin; Al Stewart, her soul mate and partner of Washington, DC; father, Jack Andrew Frost of Georgetown; mother, Maurine (Monnie) Frost of Hewitt; siblings, Jack Andrew, Jr. (Louanne) Frost of Austin; Christopher James (Kathy) Frost of Austin; Gay Lynn (Ronald) Robles of Seguin; Merrie Maurine (Marilyn Eppich) Frost of Cleveland Heights, OH; Sophia Koen of Los Angeles, CA; numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, extended family, friends, and co-workers.