Jocelyn Scoggins

“Jocie” Jocelyn Therese Scoggins was born on September 13, 1978, in Detroit, Michigan, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at her home in Sterling Heights on September 6, 2026, at the age of 47. Jocie will be deeply missed by her husband and best friend of 26 years, Steven Scoggins; her children, Joseph and Sara Scoggins; her parents, Mitchell and Theresa Bialczak; her sister, Jennifer Byers, and late husband, Jason Byers, their sons, Joshua and Jordan; her twin sister, Jacqueline Geldhof, her husband Brian Geldhof, and their sons, Braden and Jase Alvaro; her mother-in-law, Mary Lou Scoggins; her brother-in-law, Adam Scoggins, his wife Krystal Scoggins, and their sons, Irwin and Isaac Scoggins; along with countless extended family members and friends whose lives were touched by her. Jocie was many things to many people: a devoted wife, an extraordinary mother, a daughter, sister, aunt, friend, adventurer, animal lover, and a woman who cared deeply about the world around her. But above all else, Jocie wanted to be remembered as someone who was loving and caring. She believed every living thing mattered. She was the person who would find a bug in the house and carefully take it outside because, in her words, it deserved to live too. Jocie was a wonderful daughter who loved her family deeply from an early age. Some of her favorite childhood memories came from the many “swoops” she took with her family. A “swoop” was what her family called their trips to visit family friends her father had made during his time in the Marine Corps. These trips became special adventures filled with laughter, togetherness, and the kind of crazy fun that only families and lifelong friends can create. Jocie loved every minute of them and especially loved the memories made along the way. Those childhood adventures helped shape the woman she would become someone who valued family, friendship, adventure, and making the most of every moment together. Jocie's greatest love was her family. She married her high-school sweetheart and best friend, Steven Scoggins, on July 28, 2000. Their relationship began when they met in high school in 1996 and went to prom together. Over the years, they became the couple so many people considered perfect for one another. They did everything together, and there was nothing they wouldn't do for or with each other. Their life together was filled with love, friendship, laughter, adventures, and memories. Together, Steve and Jocie traveled to many places they loved, including Bermuda and New York for their honeymoon, Las Vegas with friends, Lake Tahoe for an anniversary, Santa Monica, and Hollywood, just to name a few. They always dreamed of traveling to Europe to see the castles, a dream they never got the chance to fulfill. One thing they talked about often was simply "going to the beach daily," a place that always held a special place in Jocie's heart. Jocie was an incredible mother to her children, Joey and Sara, and being their mom was one of the greatest joys of her life. She would sacrifice for herself without hesitation so that her children could have everything they wanted and needed. Their happiness was her happiness, and there was very little she would not do for them. She was their biggest supporter, their biggest cheerleader, and someone they could always count on to be there. Jocie spent countless days traveling all over the country with her family, creating memories that she hoped her children would carry with them for the rest of their lives. She loved watching them grow, experiencing new places with them, and most of all, watching them play sports. Whether it meant a long drive, a busy weekend, or simply being there on the sidelines, Jocie wanted to be there for every moment she could. She celebrated their accomplishments, encouraged them through the difficult moments, and was immensely proud of the young adults they had become. She taught Joey and Sara to appreciate the little things, to love animals, to enjoy nature, to be adventurous, and to never be afraid to experience something new. She gave them not only the things they needed, but memories, traditions, stories, laughter, and a lifetime of love. Jocie was fiercely proud of Joey and Sara and everything they had accomplished, and one of the hardest things for her was knowing she would not be there to see all that was still ahead of them. She wanted more time. She wanted to watch them continue to grow, to see where life took them, to celebrate their successes, to be there when life was difficult, and to experience all the moments that a mother hopes to share with her children. She especially dreamed of one day becoming a grandmother. She talked about her future grandchildren and how much she would love them, spoil them, and make memories with them. She wanted them to know the same love, kindness, sense of adventure, and appreciation for life that she had given Joey and Sara. Although she will not be there to hold those grandchildren in her arms, the love she had already imagined for them was real and unconditional. Above all, Jocie wanted Joey and Sara to know how deeply she loved them and how proud she was to be their mother. Her greatest hope was that they would carry that love with them throughout their lives and remember the adventures, vacations, sporting events, laughter, ordinary days, and countless little moments they shared together. Her love for them will remain a part of who they are forever. She loved them BIG. Jocie also loved adventure. She was fearless and loved the rush of adrenaline. She owned several Ford Mustangs and enjoyed road rallies with Steve and their friends. She swam with sharks, jumped from the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, and was always willing to try something new. She lived with a sense of adventure that made life more exciting for everyone around her. She found just as much happiness in the peaceful moments. Jocie loved nature, walking through the woods, especially Kensington Park, spending time at the beach, swimming in the ocean, and simply looking up at the moon. Jocie loved flowers, especially gladiolus, sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, and roses, especially pink and peach. She always made the yard look beautiful with her loving touch. She also had a lifelong love for animals. She adored all of the cats she had throughout the years and absolutely loved her dog, Bear. They were just as important as any human to her. Music was another important part of Jocie's life. She absolutely loved going to concerts, and there was hardly a show she ever wanted to miss. Her love of music was wide-ranging, but some of her favorites included Morrissey, Linkin Park, Oasis, Slipknot, The Funeral Portrait, Ice Nine Kills, Black Veil Brides, and Billy Idol. The list of artists she loved could go on forever. She didn't just enjoy listening to music; she loved the experience of being there, hearing it live, and sharing those moments with the people around her. Jocie also believed in supporting local musicians and proudly attended shows featuring Ryn Scott, Cobalt Party Revolution, Metamorphic, The Idiot Kids, Syphoned, The Custodians, and Dirty White. She was always excited to discover new music and cheer on the artists she loved, whether they were playing to thousands of people or performing on a small local stage. Jocie had a remarkable ability to document the life she was so determined to live. She was always taking pictures and videos, capturing the people she loved, the places she went, the adventures she experienced, and the everyday moments that might otherwise have been forgotten. She never seemed to want a moment to pass without somehow preserving it. Whether it was a family vacation, a concert, a day at the beach, a sporting event, a beautiful sunset, or simply a moment at home with the people she loved, Jocie wanted to remember it. She understood the value of memories and believed that even the smallest moments could become some of the most important ones. In many ways, she left behind a visual record of a life lived fully, a collection of photographs and videos that will allow her family to continue seeing the world through her eyes and remembering all of the places, people, laughter, and adventures that made her life so special. For 25 years, Jocie proudly worked for the Sterling Heights Police Department as a Data Analyst. She took great pride in her work and in being part of the department. During those 25 years, she formed friendships with some of the people who became her closest friends. Jocie was also someone who always wanted everything to be perfect and took great pride in doing things the right way. Family was at the center of Jocie's life. She stayed closely connected to the people she loved and made an effort to keep those relationships strong. She called her family every day and cherished those conversations, whether she was talking with her parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, or other extended family members. Jocie loved family get-togethers and looked forward to the times when everyone could be together in one place. Holidays were especially important to her, not because of the gifts or traditions themselves, but because they gave everyone an excuse to come together, share a meal, laugh, tell stories, and make memories. She loved the noise and chaos that came with a house full of family and enjoyed watching everyone spend time together. Those gatherings created some of the memories she treasured most, and she always wanted to be part of them. Jocie loved knowing what was happening in everyone's lives and was always interested in hearing about their families, their work, their plans, and the everyday things that mattered to them. She never needed a special occasion to remind someone that she loved them. Her family meant everything to her, and she made sure they knew it. She had a particularly special bond with her parents, Mitchell and Theresa. They were an important part of her life, and she spoke with them regularly. She could talk to them about anything, and those conversations were something she treasured. She would end her calls with them by saying, “I love you Daddy.” Those simple words reflected the love she carried for her family every day. In the end, Jocie lived her life with an open heart and fought just as fiercely to hold onto it. When she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she faced one of the hardest battles imaginable, but she never stopped fighting. She endured countless treatments, procedures, hospital stays, setbacks, pain, and uncertainty, always doing everything she could to find more time with the people she loved. Even when the road became incredibly difficult, she continued to hope, to fight, and to cherish every moment she was given. She was taken from this world far too soon, leaving behind so many places she still wanted to see, adventures she still wanted to take, and years she desperately wanted to spend with her family. But the life she did live was filled with love, laughter, courage, adventure, and memories that will never be forgotten. Her pictures will tell her stories, her family will carry her love, and the countless people whose lives she touched will carry a piece of her with them. Jocie may no longer be beside us, but she will forever be in our hearts, in the sound of laughter around the dinner table, in the beauty of a sunrise or the moon overhead, in the ocean she loved, in every animal she would have stopped to help, and in every adventure still waiting to be taken. Her greatest legacy will always be the love she gave so freely, the courage with which she fought, and the countless lives she made better simply by being part of them. That love will live on through her family and friends forever.

Jocelyn Scoggins

September 13, 1978 - September 6, 2026