SIOUX FALLS — Joyce Kingery, devoted and loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother died peacefully on December 29, 2021, at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls after a brief illness.
A private memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on January 13, 2022, at the Church of St. Mary in Sioux Falls. Joyce will be reunited with her husband, Paul at St. Michael Catholic Cemetery at a later date.
Condolences may be sent to the Kingery family at 1301 S. Coates Road, Sioux Falls, S.D. 57105.
Joyce Darlene Kingery was born May 4, 1933, to Howard and Vera (Barton) Geiger in Huron. She joined two older brothers, Robert and Donald. Joyce had a happy childhood growing up in Huron surrounded by family and friends. She graduated from Huron High School in 1951.
Joyce attended Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa, where she was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and received a two-year teaching certificate. It was during this time, that she met Paul Kingery. They were married on December 30, 1954, at St. Martin’s Church. They remained in Huron until 1992 when they moved to Sioux Falls to be closer to family.
After graduating from Huron University in 1970, Joyce taught in Huron for 26 years at both Helen Buchanan School and at Jefferson Elementary School. Teaching first grade was one of her favorites, as she loved to watch children learn to read. Joyce had been a member of HEA, SDEA and Early Childhood.
While in Sioux Falls, she was a member of the Church of St. Mary where she taught first grade religious education. She also volunteered at Longfellow Elementary School and Meals on Wheels.
She is lovingly remembered by her children, Jeff (Deanna), Chris (Kerry), and Paula; two special grandchildren, Ryan (Sarah) and Karissa; and two great-grandchildren, Hayden and Max, who loved to color and spend time with their “GG.” Others include a nephew, cousins, and many friends.
Joyce was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Paul; parents; two brothers and their wives; and a nephew and niece.
