Memorial service March 9 for Joyce Koeppen, 1941-2025

Family and friends will gather March 9 in memory of Joyce Koeppen. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing with the community now:

Longtime educator Joyce Koeppen passed away February 10, 2025 in Tacoma. A devoted wife, mother, daughter, and sister, Joyce is survived by her two children, Betty Kim Lierman and Todd Koeppen; three grandchildren, Brennan, Madelaine, and Josiah; and her sister, Cathy Hibberd.

Born in Idaho, Joyce grew up farming in the fields, milking cows, and riding horses. She loved to sing and sang pretty much continuously in the fields, bringing in the cows, doing dishes, or whatever. While she was raising her children, music was such a big part of their day that they thought everybody wrote songs. But once she returned to work, she found that the responsibilities of a working mom were such that she gradually stopped singing altogether.

After graduating from the College of Idaho (and a one-year stint as the lone female law student in her class at Willamette University), Joyce became a teacher. It was supposed to be for just a few years until she gained a financial footing, but she soon found out she LOVED teaching. Joyce was a natural teacher who ultimately spent nearly 30 years teaching English, History, Spanish, and Drama in the Glide and Roseburg school districts (both in Oregon). As her career reached its end, she was asked by the Oregon public-school system to help write the curriculum that would lead Oregon schools into the next century. After retiring from teaching, she taught computer literacy to seniors and Bible studies in a few churches.

A lifelong lover of community theater (acting and directing), Joyce received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Anne Frank’s mom in “The Diary of Anne Frank.” She founded the drama program at Glide High School and helped many students fall in love with the stage.

Joyce was also a survivor! She survived three bouts of Rheumatic Fever, several bouts of cancers, as well as a number of other serious health issues. She enjoyed referring to herself as an over-achiever as she somehow survived breast cancer four times, despite being “only born with two boobs.”

Joyce loved sharing all sorts of knowledge with her children and grandchildren, like how to raise many types of animals; flower and vegetable gardening; and her love of crafts: sewing, knitting, embroidery, quilting, and canning. Mostly, though, she enjoyed singing and spending time with her family, movie nights, and game nights. She spent her time in Washington gardening, traveling, caring for dogs, attending theater events, and most importantly, playing with her grandkids. She will be sorely missed.

Joyce’s memorial service will be Sunday, March 9, 1 pm, at Journey Church Tacoma (1801 N. Pearl St) in Tacoma.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)