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Alice Joyce Uphoff Smith

21 Aug 1931 – 4 Aug 2013

Birth21 Aug 1931
Death4 Aug 2013
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115257563

Bio

Alice Joyce Smith, of Lincoln, passed away Aug. 4, 2013, after a courageous 34-month battle with leukemia. She was born to Frederic H. and Alice I. (Lewis) Uphoff in North Platte on Aug. 21, 1931. Joyce attended Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and School, where she was the church organist during high school. She worked at O'Connor's Department store and helped her mom serve the troops during WWII at the North Platte Canteen. Joyce attended Girls State in 1947 and graduated from North Platte High School in 1948. That fall, Joyce attended Nebraska Wesleyan University and served as the first dorm president of Johnson House. Joyce pledged Alpha Gamma Delta sorority where she serviced as an officer, rush chairman and later was honored to serve as chapter advisor. She helped pay her way through college by working for the Rev. Mattingly and NWU Dean Dr. Deal. After Wesleyan, she married Bill Smith on Oct. 26, 1952. They founded Speedway Motors as partners that same year while Joyce was working for Henry Brandt, Chairman of the Nebraska State Fair Board. Joyce loaned her husband, "Speedy Bill," the $300 he needed to start Speedway Motors. Throughout the years, Joyce's outgoing and friendly nature served Speedway customers well. Joyce was initially Speedway's bookkeeper, parts runner and counter gal and always served as Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary and Treasurer. In 1961 she co-founded B&J Partnership, a commercial real estate company which came to be known as Speedway Properties. These entities earned many national and local awards including the 1993 Cornerstone Award and 10 Community Improvement Awards. Joyce's six-decade involvement with Speedway Motors earned her a wonderful reputation throughout the racing world and performance industry. She attended countless races, car shows and trade shows across America. Joyce walked the fields at the Hershey, Pa., swap meet for over 40 years, was there when SEMA was founded and was the first vendor at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals. She was a fixture at the SEMA Hall of Fame for more than 30 years. Her tremendous impact on the automotive community was recognized in 2005 when she was presented with the Goodguys Woman of the Year Award. As the proud co-founder of the Museum of American Speed, Joyce's love and knowledge of racing and rodding history will be a continuing influence for future generations. As a respected businesswoman, Joyce was honored to serve and direct many organizations, several as their first female board member. She also received Nebraska Wesleyan's Alumni Achievement Award. Joyce was a trailblazer as a tireless working mom who labored 60-plus hour weeks at Speedway while raising her four boys. She still found time to be a Cub Scout den mother, library volunteer and Sunday school teacher at St. Paul United Methodist Church, where she was a proud member for 59 years. She always felt blessed with her boys who all would go on to have the pleasure of working in the business with their beloved mother. Joyce loved reading, her garden, and playing the piano. Joyce's friendly, kind, outgoing personality was genuine. Joyce liked people and they liked her. Until Sunday, she said she never had a day's rest since she meet "Speedy Bill," her beloved husband and partner of 61 years. Joyce is survived by her husband, D. William Smith; her sons, Carson (Jane) Smith, Craig (Cathy) Smith, Clay (Beth) Smith and Jason (Lisa) Smith, all of Lincoln; ten grandchildren; her sister, Lorna Miller, of Tyler, Texas. He was preceeded in death by his brother, Frederick Uphoff. Joyce's Celebration of Life and ice cream social will be at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Museum of American Speed. Roper & Sons is in charge of arrangements. . Published in North Platte Telegraph from August 11 to August 12, 2013

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