Joy Astrid Martin Shin

SHIN, Joy Astrid Martin, 86, died on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at the Miami Valley South Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. A good and faithful servant, Joy was surrounded by her loved ones as she moved on to life eternal.

Joy was born in 1936 in Chicago, Illinois as the youngest daughter of Salvation Army officers Thomas Herbert Martin and Edythe (Somers McElhiney) Martin. In 1954, Joy earned her high school diploma from Southwest High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her father nicknamed her “Joy Bells.” A dedicated musician, Joy enjoyed playing French horn in the orchestra, and alto horn in Salvation Army bands throughout her school years. In 1959, Joy earned her Bachelor of Science from the University in Minnesota School of Nursing and became a registered nurse. While working at a hospital in Chicago, she met a seminary student and Korean immigrant, Tai Shin. After Joy earned her Master’s in Nursing Education from Teachers College at Columbia University, Joy and Tai got married in July of 1963. They raised their three sons in Indianapolis, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and later, in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. Joy had a passion for medicine and leadership, working as a nursing professor and medical administrator throughout her career.

From 1974 until last year, Joy lived with her husband Tai in Princeton Junction near Grovers Mill Pond, and most recently along the Millstone River. After Tai’s death in in March of 2022, she moved to senior living to be closer to her son and his family in Dayton. Throughout her life, Joy was a sociable and generous neighbor. She especially loved to read the New York Times, biographies, history, and novels, sing show tunes, attend church, share meals, and Facetime with her family and grandchildren.

Joy is predeceased by her brothers, Robert Cale (Bobby) Martin and John Herbert Brengle (Jay) Martin, and survived by her sister, Edythe Anne (Edie) Memmott of Rumson, NJ. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Sun Kyun Shin (Christine), and sisters-in-law, Elsie Martin, Sue Loesch, Rhonda Shin, and Jamie Chi (Ken). Tai and Joy had three sons—Kent (Kelley), Wesley (Maren), and Mark (fiancé Amy). Tai and Joy had seven grandchildren—Darren, Matthew, Rosemary, Daniel, Christina, Brandon, and Audrey. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

A prayer service will be held at Fairmont Presbyterian Church in Kettering, OH on April 14th at 6:00 p.m. Visitation will be held on Friday, April 21 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home on 40 Vandeventer Avenue in Princeton, NJ. A Service in Witness to Resurrection and Interment will be held on Saturday, April 22nd at 11:00 a.m. at Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church in Princeton Junction, NJ. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be made at www.routsong.com.