Joyce Marie Monahan

Joyce Marie Monahan, 74 of Dubuque, IA died peacefully surrounded by her loved ones on Saturday, June 25th, 2016. 

Funeral mass will be at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, June 30th, 2016 at Holy Spirit Parish, Sacred Heart Church with Rev. Dwayne Thoman officiating. Burial will follow in Mount Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 29th, at Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Road where a wake service will be at 4:00 p.m.

Joyce was born on October 6th, 1942 in Dubuque, Iowa to Lolita and Alfred Jochum. She was the second oldest of nine children. Joyce and her siblings grew up on Windsor Ave where they attended Sacred Heart Catholic School and went on to graduate from Wahlert Catholic High School. Joyce married Mike Monahan on May 14th, 1966 and they recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. Their love was so deep that just a little over three weeks after Mike passed Joyce left this world to be with him. 

Joyce was always an organizer at heart. Whether it was re-organizing her home after yet another remodel, traveling the world working for John Deere where she later retired, or being a political organizer where she inspired countless generations of the Jochum family to be involved in the political process or making sure her grandchildren always knew their voices mattered. 

So many of the things that Joyce accomplished had an impact on others. From the Women’s Recreation Association where it gave women an opportunity to participate in the sports they loved, to being a proud founding member of the Obama Mamas, an inspiring group of loyal DBQ County Democratic Women, to bringing back the DBQ County Democrats Hall of Fame Dinner where she was a recent inductee, to keeping family traditions alive, but her most important accomplishment was being a Grandma. 

Joyce was a proud mother and grandmother. She was an active Girl Scout leader for both of her daughters and they spent their summers off traveling the country. Joyce enjoyed taking her family on adventures from camping at Jellystone in the summer, spending time at the ‘farm’, or spending countless hours on the sidelines in support of her grandchildren. Joyce became known as Grandma to so many and held that title proudly.

She is survived by her two daughters Kelly Simpson and Kristy Monahan, her eleven grandchildren Megan, Allison (Nic Hockenberry), Hannah, Will (Kaitlyn), Quinn, and Madison (Brother Ben) Simpson, Kalyn Gilbreath, Kiera, Korey, Kelsey, and Keenan Monahan, and four great-grandchildren Kam, Lia, Kiyah, and Karrianna. Her siblings Ronnie (Helen) Schmitt, Connie (Ken) Bennett, Donna Sindahl, Geri (Paul) O’Connor, Tom (Amy) Jochum, Steve Jochum, Kim (Dale) Klinkhammer. Multiple brothers and sisters -in-law; nieces and nephews. 

Joyce was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene ‘Mike’ Monahan, her mother and father, her brother Richard Dale, her mother and father in law Mary Splinter and Raymond Monahan, her brother-in-law John “Coach” Sindahl and sister-in-law Freda Jochum, and nieces Jessica Bennett and Elizabeth Klinkhammer. 

A special thank you to the nurses and CNAs of Dubuque Specialty Care for the kindness and support they gave to Joyce and Mike over the last two years. And for Hospice of Dubuque for all the love and support. 

The family asks that in Joyce’s memory you make sure you are registered to vote this election cycle. We love you Grams. “Fired Up! Ready to Go!”

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