Joy Ciriano

Joy Ammons Ciriano, 45, passed away on Friday, February 26, 2010. She died in her home surrounded by family and friends. She approached her five year battle with breast cancer the same way she approached life; with courage, passion and determination. She was born and raised in Fayetteville, NC, the daughter of Joyce B. Ammons and the late J. Floyd Ammons. She was an attorney, educator, board member and advocate for numerous community organizations and causes. After graduation from Pine Forest High School in Fayetteville in 1982, she continued her education at Peace College, North Carolina State University, where she received a B.A. degree and Wake Forest University School of Law, where she received a Jurist Doctorate. She began her professional career in Fayetteville as an assistant district attorney in 1990. In 1991 she moved to Burlington after accepting a position as an assistant district attorney in Alamance County. She served a total of nine years as an assistant district attorney. She worked in private practice with the Vernon Law Firm for three years. Joy also worked as an adjunct professor at Elon University for six years teaching Gender and the Law. During her last four years as an Assistant District Attorney, she was responsible for starting the Alamance County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, where she vigorously prosecuted offenders while developing a deep compassion for the victims of abuse. Leaving the courtroom behind in 2001, Joy became the Executive Director of Family Abuse Services for Alamance County, channeling her legal expertise and passion for justice toward protecting, serving and improving the wellbeing of victims of abuse. As head of Family Abuse Services, she led the efforts to establish a Family Justice Center that will put social, legal and law enforcement services under one roof to deal more efficiently with child abuse and domestic violence cases. The center will be the first of its kind in the state. In support of the causes to which she was devoted, she served as a board member and volunteer for many charitable, service and professional organizations including serving as the first female president of the Alamance County Bar Association in 2007. In 2010, Joy was awarded the North Carolina State Bar Association Centennial Award, which honors current and retired members of the NC State Bar throughout the state who have demonstrated exemplary service to their community. In spite of her busy schedule of career and varied community activities, Joy's deep commitment and dedication has always been to her husband, her four children, her extended family and friends. She was an active member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Burlington. She is survived by her husband Joe, daughters Ashley, Emily and Grace, son Charles, mother Joyce Ammons, brother Jim Ammons and his wife Sandy, brother Tommy Ammons, sister Jane Gilchrist and her husband Mike, grandmother Gussie Ammons, mother and father-in-law Marian and Joe Ciriano, sister-in-law Linda DesRoches and husband Tom, brother-in-law Steven Ciriano and wife Julie, nephews Jamie Ammons, William Gilchrist and Aiden DesRoches, nieces Sarah Ammons, Elizabeth Gilchrist, Julia DesRoches and Rebecca, Hannah and Maya Joy Ciriano. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am Monday March 1, 2010 from the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church by Very Rev. Robert Benko, O.F.M. CONV. V.F.. Interment will follow in Magnolia Cemetery, Elon, NC. Mrs. Ciriano will remain at Lowe Funeral Home and Crematory until being taken to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church at 6:00 pm Sunday where the family will receive friends from 6-8 pm. In Lieu of Flowers, the family asks that gifts be made in Joy's honor to Blessed Sacrament School, 515 Hillcrest Ave, Burlington, NC 27215 or the Young Life Campership Fund, care of: Alamance County Young Life, P.O. Box 2612, Burlington, NC.