Joyce Niemeyer Obituary
Joyce Ann Niemeyer Born to life June 18, 1944, born to eternal life July 29, 2022. Loving mother of Curtis Niemeyer, Heather (Jim) Nargis, Christina (Michael Leitner) Niemeyer, JoAnna (Lyle) Alft and her beloved cat, Mokey. Doting Grandmother to Ashley, Amber, Trevor, Brent, Michaela, Gustav, Rylan, Elia, and Aubrey. Preceded in death by her husband, Robert 'Bob' Niemeyer and parents, Joy E & Lela F (Bailey) Cossairt. To be laid to rest with her husband Bob, at Prospect Cemetery in Ossian, IN.
Her life began in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 18, 1944, born to Joy & Lela Cossairt. As a young girl she was known as Joyce Ann to family and close friends. She loved to ride her bike as a child, but left the bike riding to our dad with the kids as she got older. She graduated from South Side High School, Class of 1962.
While waiting in line at the local college, a good looking guy cut in line and stepped on her foot. She was never sure if he did it on purpose, but I think she forgave him, as he would later be her husband. Nice job dad! They later moved to Indianapolis where she thoroughly enjoyed working for the Indianapolis 500 Festival office. A highlight of this job was when she, along with our dad, were picked to be one of the several drivers of a pace car prior to the start of the race in 1977. This solidified her love for the Indy 500 that continues with members of our family today.
A job change then brought the family to Wisconsin, resulting in the final count of 4 children, numerous cats and dogs through the years and lots of family camping trips. When Bob suffered a life altering episode, she lovingly cared for him for 9 years until his passing in 2006. During this time, although it wasn't easy, she didn't let it consume her. As a result, our family is able to see humor and joy in many complex situations.
Teddy bears, angels and houseplants (that were once living), were a few of her favorite things to collect. She loved to collect all different types of teddy bears. She often took it upon herself to give many orphan teddy bears and plants a home. Christmas was her favorite holiday, along with her treasured Angel collection. She had been known in our younger years, to visit every Toys R Us for a sought after toy (yes, we're talking to you Cabbage Patch dolls), and then as we got older, found joy in finding the most unusual of gifts for each one of us (thank you mail order catalogs).
She was an avid Brewer fan, and never wanted to miss watching a game, even if they were losing and no one else was watching. She also enjoyed watching college basketball, particularly Indiana and Notre Dame during March Madness. Although she lived in Wisconsin for over 44 years, she never lost her love for all things "Indiana".
Her family was the light of her life, but nothing could make her smile more than seeing her grandchildren, whether it was watching them play baseball, numerous recitals, perform in a musical or band concert, or just hanging out to visit. The numerous pictures of everyone all around her house were proof of that.
Her beloved cat Mokey has been her steady companion for the last 10 years. Mom's one request when it came time to move, was a place where Mokey was welcome too. Mokey instantly bonded with the staff, and Mom enjoyed showing off how Mokey would beg for her treats, which may have helped her gain a few pounds in the last few months. She also adored all her grand-pets and enjoyed showering them with her affection as well.
She loved to talk about her dry Irish sense of humor. If you didn't like it, mom would say 'Too bad' and stick her tongue out. You were always good for an eye roll, mom.
She fought a hard fight against so many medical odds throughout her life, if she was a cat, we often joked that she was on her "5th or 6th" life. She fought through many procedures, but she took each one in stride and thanked God every morning for giving her one more day.
We will certainly miss the giant smiles and 'Oh Hi! whenever we walked into a room that we became accustomed to in recent months. We were all so blessed to have had her with us for so long.
We would like to thank the staff at Cecelia Place for their extraordinary care of our mom. In lieu of flowers, memorials appreciated in care of our mother to the Washington County Humane Society, Slinger, WI.
Love you mom always and forever, Your Kids.
