Joyce Astleford
Joyce Astleford, 89, of Rapid City, S.D. died Monday, September 22, 2014 at Sturgis Regional Senior Care.
Joyce was born July 27 1925 in White River S.D. to Arthur and May Fitzkee Siegmund. She graduated from WRHS in 1943 and attended SDSU for three years, majoring in Home Economics. She graduated from Iowa State 1948, then returned to White River to teach and became engaged to Warren Astleford.
They were married December 16, 1948 in Hollywood Calif. on the Bride and Groom radio program. They bought the family ranch and built new headquarters along Butch Creek. They raised their children there, and built a second house in WR for school. Joyce stayed in town with the children during the school week and returned to the ranch weekends and vacations, a pattern of double households that continued for 21 years
Joyce was a 4-H and Job’s Daughters leader, Band Parents and PTA officer, MYF leader and driver for class trips and/or chaperone. This called for a lot of running: rodeos, camps, all kinds of sports, musical events and church. A highlight in Joyce’s life was being chosen Mother-of-the-Year in 1969 at the annual Mother-Daughter banquet.
She taught off and on in many forms: high school English and Home Ec., substitute teaching, C.A.P. classes, G.E.D. tutoring, & SS and VBS church classes. Joyce was an officer on the local and state level of Order of Eastern Star, earning her 50-year pin. She was an enthusiastic member of Frontier Twirlers. (She had an extensive array of coordinating dance outfits that she made for herself and Warren.) She was a member of Women’s Club, taking offices on the district and local level in both White River and Rapid City. Joyce was a member of Cottonwood Ladies Aid, Dinner Social Club, United Methodist Church, Darton Society, and Elks Club.
Joyce grew a large garden and raised chickens. She was an excellent seamstress. She sang in the church choir and provided special music for the community’s funerals, banquets, and other public events. She played the trombone her whole life, most recently in the New Horizons Band when she retired to Rapid City. Warren and Joyce entertained often, inviting friends over for multi-course meals prepared from scratch.
Joyce took great pleasure in her family and church, friends and colleagues, music and the ranch. She enjoyed her garden flowers and shared them frequently with the congregation. She kept a daily diary and family scrapbooks until her mid-eighties.
Survivors include her husband Warren, Rapid City; children Jan (Wayne) Steinle; Brad (Marcia) Astleford; Scott (Michele) Astleford and Kim (Gilbert) Moyle; grandchildren Jason (Mandy), Nathan (Val) and Tyler Steinle; Andy and Lindsay Astleford; Britton and Rachel Astleford; Gib and Sydney Moyle; great grandchildren Grace and Jackson Steinle; her brother Joe (Jean) Siegmund; half brother John (Laurie) Siegmund; step sister Anita Madson; and step brother Reinhold (Donna) Banek. Joyce was preceded in death by brother Paul Siegmund, and half sister Betsy Siegmund.
Services will be at 1:30 pm, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014 at South Maple United Methodist Church. Burial will be at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis at 11 am on Monday Oct. 6, 2014.