Joyce M. Hempel, 91, of Topeka, Kansas, passed away on April 1, 2016, eight days before her 92nd birthday.

She was born April 9, 1924 in Kenosha, WI, the daughter of Hubert and Ella (Gale) Pfarr. Joyce graduated from Kenosha High School.

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, and her beloved nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Joyce was a homemaker and mother, touching her family’s lives with her gifts of knitting and crocheting. She was also a member of Christ the King Catholic Church, Topeka. Joyce was preceded in death by a sister, Jane Ernst and twin brothers, Richard and Donald Pfarr.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at Christ the King Catholic Church in Topeka, with burial to follow in the Larkinburg Cemetery. Family will greet friends from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Monday evening at Mercer Funeral Home, Holton, Kansas.

Memorials may be given to Christ the King School or Larkinburg Christian Church c/o Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436. To leave a special message for the family, please visit www.mercerfuneralhomes.com.