Joyce Jeanene Burgess

Born Joyce Jeanene Ringold in St. Paul, Minnesota, in November 1946, she is survived by her husband, Don Burgess, who she met when through “happenstance,” they were seated next to each other on an airplane; her son, Andrew Kerwin; and her stepdaughter, Marian Cacciatore. She also leaves behind members of her large family, still in Minnesota: brothers John and Jerry Ringold, and sisters JoAnn Gross (passed in 2016), Janie Prow and Jeanette Stang.

During her life she worked and traveled extensively in both the U.S. and abroad, living in both Indonesia and Trinidad. Her caring, loving ways and her capacity for focused, hard work were well known to her family and friends. She and her son started a small shelf conversion business in the early 2000s that grew into a national franchise. She was even more proud of helping a young girl she met in Trinidad decide to have her baby rather than terminate the pregnancy. That baby is now a 20-something educated professional clerking in a Toronto law office.

Joyce lived in Richmond for the last 25 years, where she volunteered for many organizations, including the Lewis Ginter Park Botanical Gardens and the MCV Hospital Auxiliary, where she served on the board and as president.

A memorial service will be held at 1 PM at Hope Church, 12445 Patterson Avenue, Richmond, VA 23238 on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. The service will also include a livestream at hopechurchrva.com/live. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to VCU Medical Center Auxiliary, 1250 Marshall Street, Box 980256, Richmond, VA 23298-0256