Joyce Dee (Hays) Richardson, daughter of Otto and Pearl (Strutt) Hays, was born on August 24, 1936, on a farm southwest of Alton, Kansas, in Mt. Ayr Township in Osborne County, Kansas. She passed away on August 28, 2019 at Solomon Valley Manor in Stockton, Kansas, at the age of 83.
Joyce received her elementary education at Pleasant Plain School, Osborne County. She attended Natoma Rural High School graduating in 1954. The summer before she was a senior she began working at the Do-Drop Inn restaurant in Stockton. She continued working there on weekends until she graduated and then began working there full time, however, she decided that wasn’t what she wanted to do with her life. She returned to the farm and began working for her uncle and aunt, Van and Marjorie Strutt. In March of 1955 she began working for the United States Department of Agriculture, in the ASCS office in Osborne. She then worked in the County Treasurer’s office, the County Agricultural Extension Office, back to the County Treasurer’s Office as Deputy County Treasurer and then became County Treasurer of Osborne County. She then began working in Stockton as the Deputy County Treasurer of Rooks County. In 1966 she began working as secretary in the Stockton school system until her retirement in 1995.
She was married to Donald L. Richardson, July 14, 1962, at the First Methodist Church in Osborne. They moved to Stockton in August of 1963 living in their mobile home at the Maddy Trailer Court. In August of 1965 they purchased their home at 211 South 12th Street. After Don passed away February 17, 2011, Joyce remained living there until June of 2014 when she moved to Stockton Estates. In October of 2017 she moved to Solomon Valley Manor.
Joyce loved genealogy and has scrapbooks for all of her family. They include parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, nieces, and nephews.
Her greatest accomplishment of all her work about her family was becoming a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution; something she had worked on most of her adult life. Joyce also enjoyed playing her guitar, oil painting, reading, traveling (especially to the mountains), and shopping.
Joyce is survived by nieces and nephews Robert (Carol) Parker of Plainville, Mary (Robert) Miller of Stockton, Jill (Michael) Roth of Savannah, MO, Edward (Nancy) Brummer of Natoma, Connie (Tracy) Brummer of Stockton, Jennifer Brummer of Plainville, Jeanette (Jason) Miller of Hutchinson, Elizabeth “Betsy” (Jarrod) Selenke of Peyton, CO, Peggy (Benney) Wise of Stockton, Sandra Staton of Webster, Becky Shunn of Stockton, Richard Neushafer of Salina, Mark Neushafer of Enterprise, and Pamela (Rich) Sexton of Denver, CO; sister-in-law, Colleen Richardson of Webster; brothers-in-law, Edward Brummer and Ben Neushafer of Enterprise, Kansas; and many great-nieces and great- nephews.
Joyce is preceded in death by her husband Donald Richardson; parents, Otto and Pearl Hays; sisters, Loretta Parker and Bertha Brummer; and brothers-in-law Harry Parker, Junior Velgruth, and Earl Richardson; and sisters-in-law, Ann Neushafer and Viola Velgruth.
A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, September 3, at 2:00 P.M. at Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home in Stockton with burial to follow at the Stockton Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 from 12:00 P.M. until service time at 2:00 P.M.
Memorials are suggested to Solomon Valley Manor and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 723 North First, Stockton, KS 67669.