Five Fast Facts About Joyce Byers on Stranger Things

Though Stranger Things focuses on the kids and their relationships with one another, we have to give a shout out to the number one mom on the show, Joyce Byers. While the other moms — most notably Karen Wheeler — couldn’t care less what their kids are up to, Joyce will do absolutely anything to protect her boys.

In fact, she practically went crazy trying to save Will in both Season 1 and Season 2. Here are five fast facts about Hawkins’ super mom, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) right here!

High School Pals
Joyce grew up in Hawkins, Indiana and went to high school with Chief Jim Hopper. They were good friends growing up, and they used to skip class together to go and smoke. Though they both got married to different people, it’s clear that they have some chemistry.

Ex-Husband
Joyce got married to Lonnie Byers and they had two sons together, Jonathan and Will. Lonnie then decided to divorce Joyce and he left the family. He rarely sees his sons and moved to Indianapolis.

Working Mom
In order to provide for her two boys since Lonnie is no longer in the picture, Joyce works at a Melvald’s General Store in Hawkins. She even works long hours and on holidays so that the family has enough money.

Mother’s Intuition
When Will went missing during the first season, Joyce was convinced he was still alive. She realized he was trying to communicate with her through the lights, so she went out and bought a bunch of Christmas lights in order to figure out where he was. It was her quick thinking and intuition that saved Will.

New Relationship
Joyce began dating Bob Newby during the second season of Stranger Things. Joyce also knew Bob in high school, but they weren’t close. In fact, Bob had a crush on Joyce while they were growing up. Unfortunately, however, Bob was killed by a Demogorgon while trying to save Will.