Paul Bagby Joyce, 65, of Greenville, NC. passed away on Sunday, June 9, 2019, after a long courageous fight against cancer.

A graveside servie will be held at 12:00 noon, Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Shrewsbury Church Cemetery, 1824 Shrewsbury Church Road, Kennedyville, MD.  A local celebration of his life will be held in Greenville, NC at a later time.

Paul was born in Chestertown, MD on Easter Sunday Morning, April 18, 1954.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Masters of Biology from University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Paul worked as a scientist for 30 years, specializing in quality control, with Oxford Global Enterprise, Ethicon, Inc., Hospira, Inc., Sandoz, Inc., Glaxosmithkline, Inc., Leiner Health Products, Catalytica Pharmaceuticals/DSM Pharmaceuticals, Glaxo Wellcome, and Burroughs Wellcome.  He was a researcher and coauthored several studies that examined the effects of inflammation on platelets, contributing to modern medicine's standards of care in managing heart disease.

He enjoyed collecting family memorabilia, shooting, and spending time with his cat, Cinder.  He was a former member and Secretary of the Pitt County Wildlife Club. He was actively involved with the American Lung Association, National Rifle Association, and the North Carolina Rifle and Pistol Association.

Paul was preceded in death by his father, William Dewey Joyce, Jr, a dairy farmer, and his mother, Florence Hurtt Deringer Joyce, a physician.  She was a fifth generation descendant of the Deringer family who produced handguns and rifles by the same name.  He is survived by his sister, Elizabeth Anne Joyce Martin of Maryland and extended family members Amanda Deringer of Virginia and Sidney "Sud" Deringer of Maryland.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to Saving Graces for Felines to honor his cat, Cinder, who never left his side.  Paul would like to thank Vickie, Teresa, Tammy, Sharon, Jim, Gail and the many others who encouraged and watched over him during his illness. He was particularly grateful for those individuals at Vidant's Cancer Center and the Palliative Care unit.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Wilkerson Funeral Home in Greenville, North Carolina and Galena Funeral Home in Galena, Maryland.

Online condolences at www.WilkersonFuneralHome.com