Joyce Carolyn (Krambeer) Riggle

Joyce Carolyn (Krambeer) Riggle

Duluth, MN

Joyce Carolyn (Krambeer) Riggle passed away at Franciscan Health Center in Duluth, MN, on September 12, 2025, after a two-decade battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Joyce was born on July 28, 1937, to Arno and Helen (Henkes) Krambeer of Luana, Iowa.

The oldest of four children, Joyce grew up on the family farm and attended the country school starting at age 4, then Postville High School, graduating in 1954 at age 16. She enrolled at Iowa State Teachers College to pursue a career in education, earning a degree in Elementary Education and a license to teach in Iowa.

At 18, she taught for a year in LaPorte City before marrying Richard “Rig” Riggle on June 9, 1957, at the Community Presbyterian Church in Postville, Iowa. Rig was also a teacher. They initially lived and taught in Charles City, IA, before moving to Morgan Hill, CA; Eugene, OR; and finally settling in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Joyce and Richard were blessed with three children—Reid, Dirk, and Thad—whom they lovingly raised together.

She volunteered at the Jane Boyd Community Center in Cedar Rapids for a number of years before earning her B.A. in Elementary Education from Coe College and an M.A. from the University of Iowa. Joyce enjoyed a long and rewarding career in the Cedar Rapids Public Schools, teaching 4K, kindergarten, and 1st grade.

After retiring, Joyce and Rig built their beloved “cabin on the bluff” in Grand Marais, MN, where they lived for many years. Their home was their sanctuary, a place they cherished and shared with family and friends. Joyce and Rig were married for 51 years until Rig’s passing in 2009.

Joyce later moved to the Duluth area, where she lived until her death. She remained active for several years, participating in local groups, including a gardening club, book club, and her church, where she nurtured her devotion to Christianity. At Franciscan Health Center, she continued to engage in activities as her health allowed—painting, music, Sunday worship and hymn-singing, making new friends, and always enjoying a good bingo game.

She was a kind, generous, and loving person who dedicated her life to caring for and supporting others. Joyce relished being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her love of children inspired her passion for education. She was a gifted teacher whose classroom overflowed with joy, laughter, music, and books. She believed every child had the potential to learn and grow with patient guidance and support.

Joyce loved learning, reading, music, travel, and the natural world—especially birds and flowers.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Arno and Helen Krambeer; her husband, Richard; her in-laws, Cecil and Mildred Riggle; her brother, Stanley Krambeer; her brothers-in-law, Donald Anderson and Paul Riggle; and her grandson, Alec Riggle.

She is survived by her children: Reid (Susan) of Green Bay, WI; Dirk (Daphne) of Cedar Rapids, IA; and Thad (Kate) of Hibbing, MN. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Hannah (Peter) Weck and their daughter, Cora, of Appleton, WI; Jonah Riggle of De Pere, WI; Adam (Katie) Riggle of Two Harbors, MN; Paxton Riggle of Duluth, MN; Duncan Riggle of Virginia, MN; and Rhys Riggle of St. Paul, MN. Other survivors include her sisters, Nancy (Ed) Engelhardt of Postville, IA, and Rita Anderson of Clermont, IA; her sister-in-law, Nancy Riggle of San Antonio, TX; and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at Community Presbyterian Church in Postville, IA (106 S. Reynolds St.) on October 11, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., with Pastor Karla Johnson presiding. Lunch will follow immediately after the service, with burial at Postville Cemetery afterward.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff at Franciscan Health Center in Duluth for their many years of loving care and support.