Joan F. Eggers

Joan was born in Iowa City, Iowa in 1934, to Raymond F. and Johanne Kelsen Dalbey. Later the family moved to West Des Moines, IA where she and her older brother Thomas Dalbey grew up together. Her father, Raymond, helped to run the lumber yard started by his father, along with his three brothers.

Joan attended elementary school in West Des Moines, then Valley Junction Middle School and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1952.

Before graduating from college, Joan married her high school sweetheart, William C. Eggers in September 1956. She graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor's of science degree in Dietetics in 1957.

Her first job was as a clinical dietitian at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa

A few years later, she became the Administrative and Clinical Dietitian at Iowa Lutheran Hospital from 1963 to 1965.

She and Bill moved to Creve Coeur, outside of St. Louis, in the summer of 1966, and she worked at Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center for the State of Missouri.

Bill's work took them to Kansas City in 1970 where she worked as a consulting dietitian at various healthcare facilities until 1982 with C.L. Gerwick and Associates in Overland Park, KS. She later worked at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, now Advent Health, from 1982-1985. She was an administrative dietitian and food production supervisor. She created the menus and ran the hospital kitchen for employees, visitors and patients. She finished her career at Western Missouri Mental Health Center as the Director of Dietetic Services and retired from the state of Missouri in 1999.

She was a member of the American Dietetic Association, the Greater Kansas City Dietetic Association and the American Society of Hospital Food Service Administrators during her working years.

She attended Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Overland Park, KS. She was a member of Christ the King Catholic Church in Kansas City, KS in her later years.

She is remembered for her tireless energy and enthusiasm for all the holidays. She decorated the house for every holiday and made them extra special. Birthdays were always a day for your favorite food, a wonderful cake, lots of presents and as always.... decorations. Christmas was by far the best as the whole house got decorated on the inside and outside. We'd get a live Christmas tree and spend hours getting it set up with oh so many lights and of course many hand-made and specially bought decorations from throughout the years. There was endless Christmas music playing in the background and all kinds of yummy things to eat. Every holiday meal was "over-the-top" wonderful.

During her retirement years she traveled to Florida to visit her children, took several cruises, traveled to Europe and even spent a few years in New York City and performed stand-up comedy.

She returned back to Kansas City to be close to her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by her three children and their spouses: Michael Eggers and his wife Sandra in Lee's Summit, MO; Susanne Stockman and her husband Mark in Lee's Summit, MO; and Steven Eggers and his wife Paula in Shawnee, KS.

She is also survived by her nine grandchildren: Benjamin Eggers and his wife Natalie in Wanatchee, WA; Michelle Alvarez and her Husband Dominic in Mesa, AZ; Jessica Miles in Spring Hill, KS, James and his wife Heather Miles in Overland Park, KS; Andrew, Sean and Ryan Eggers in Shawnee, KS; Lawrence and Alex Reilly in Lee's Summit, MO.

She is survived by six great-grandchildren soon to be 7 as one is on the way: Evelyn and Patrick Eggers in Wanatchee, WA; Olivia and Sophie Alvarez in Mesa, AZ; Elliot Miles and Nate Schultz in Overland Park, KS.

She is survived by various family dogs that she got a kick out of watching and who provided much entertainment and comfort. They are: Sundae, Winston, Danny Boy, Eleanor, Julius and Charlie. Her best buddy was Lilly, a salt and pepper miniature schnauzer, who was often by her side or in her lap. She passed in December of 2020.

She was preceded in death by her former husband Bill Eggers, 77, in 2011, her daughter Deborah Jo Miles, 59, in 2019, and her brother Tom Dalbey in 2005.

Place of interment will be The Mausoleum at Resthaven Cemetery in West Des Moines, IA. Family will have a private ceremony at Resthaven in April.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: Kansas City Hospice House, 2000 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64145, 816-941-0000 www.kchospice.org