Joyce M. Hempel, more affectionately known by her family and many others as Peka, resided in Topeka, Kansas. She passed away on April 1, 2016, eight days before her 92nd birthday. She lived a full and independent life, enjoying her three children: Kathleen (Mark) Armstrong, Muscotah, Kansas; Jon (Julie) Hempel, Lincoln, Nebraska; and Karen Lubrano, Roeland Park, Kansas; her beloved nine grandchildren and their spouses: Kathryn Koepke, Rebecca Koepke, Joe (Eleri) Armstrong, Emily (Jon) Kerschen, Colin Hempel, Chuck (Celine) Armstrong, Alexandra Hempel, Lizzy Hempel, and Christopher Lubrano; and nine great-grandchildren: Summit, Elle, and Miles Staron; Henry, Hayes, and Martha Armstrong; and Abigail, Jenevieve, and William Kerschen.

Joyce was a homemaker and mother, touching her family's lives in so many ways. Peka was one of the kindest people, and she loved her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids more than anyone, willing to do anything for any of them. As new people entered the family—spouses, friends, grand and great-grandchildren—she embraced them all with open arms and loved them fully. Each grandchild felt like he or she was Peka's favorite, a testament to the way Peka was able to love each person uniquely and wholly. Her big heart was felt in every tiny stitch of the handmade gifts she shared with so many. Her love will stay with us every day as we walk to get the mail in a scarf she knitted or wash dishes standing on a braided kitchen rug she made. We will feel the warmth of her in the sun behind the curtains she sewed and feel her embrace wrapped around us in the afghans she so lovingly created.

More than anything, though, she was devout in her faith and was an amazing example of what a godly woman looks like. Joyce was a member of Christ the King Catholic Church, Topeka. She worshipped faithfully and took great joy in being able to lift her family and those she cared about up to the Lord in prayer.

Though our hearts are all heavy with sadness that we will no longer experience the warmth of Peka's love here on earth, we take comfort in what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians: "For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Visitation will be Monday, April 4th from 6:30 to 7:30 P.M. at the Mercer Funeral Home in Holton, Kansas. Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, April 5 at 10:00 A.M. at Christ the King Catholic Church, Topeka, Kansas with burial service to follow at Larkinburg Cemetery in Larkinburg, Kansas. Memorials may be given to Christ the King School or to the Larkinburg Christian Church c/o Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436.