Joy Elizabeth Sitler

Joy Elizabeth Sitler, of Knightstown passed away on September 27, at the age of 30.

Joy was a prolific singer-songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist, and an all-around caring person.

Joy was a 2013 graduate of Lincoln High School in Cambridge City, where she was the school’s first recipient of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award. While in high school, she performed in the Lincoln High School Concert Band, Jazz Band, Marching Band, and Choir. She also performed in the Earlham College Jazz Band under the direction of Pavel Polanco-Safadit and in the Richmond Community Orchestra (RCO). She also arranged and composed music for her school ensembles and for the RCO.

She then attended Ball State University, where she was a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship in the Fine Arts. She graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in music composition. Several of her works were selected for performance at composers’ conferences around the country, including the SPLICE Institute and the Society of Composers, Inc. Her music compositions were performed by various musicians and musical ensembles on the Ball State campus. She herself also performed in several ensembles, including the New Music Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Wind Ensemble.

She did post-graduate work at Bowling Green State University in Northwest Ohio. She became a fixture in the Toledo-Bowling Green singer-songwriter community.

Over the course of her life, she performed as a solo artist and with numerous groups, including Black Dawn, The Magician’s Nephews, Des Amis, Adoremus, Paco is Desperate, My Own Desert Island, Brain Weasels, and My Broken Demo Tape. She performed in numerous cities in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

Since 2021, Joy has been active in the SpinTunes on-line songwriting contests. She was a two-time finalist. Many of the songs she submitted became judges’ favorites. She was an eager collaborator who celebrated and encouraged her fellow contestants and challenged them to grow as musicians. She is dearly missed by that international community.

Joy enjoyed hiking in Indiana State Parks and playing in Magic the Gathering tournaments.

She is survived by her parents, Chris and Penny Sitler (Knightstown) and a sister, Mariah Sitler (Minneapolis, Minnesota), and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was preceded in death by a favorite aunt, Elizabeth Sitler.

A memorial service will be held at New Castle First Friends Meeting at 2 pm on Friday, October 3, with Cathy Harris and Rick Schoeff officiating. Visitation will be prior to the service from 11 am until 2 pm. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Sitler Family Fine Arts Scholarship Fund, c/o Henry County Community Foundation, or to “To Write Love on Her Arms” in memory of Joy Sitler, at https://twloha.com/. Arrangements have been entrusted to Hinsey Brown Funeral Service in Knightstown. You may express condolences or share a memory of Joy at www.hinsey-brown.com.