Joyce Kupsh

Joyce Kupsh - Born: March 9, 1937 - Death: September 12, 2023

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Joyce Kupsh, a remarkable woman who was a trailblazer for women in business and left an indelible mark on the lives of all who knew her. She was a woman of great wisdom, courage and intelligence. But her best quality was her heart. She was the embodiment of service to others throughout her life and career. She lived by the second commandment - love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:31 .

Born to John C. and Lois Marie Van Gundy in Emporia, Kansas, Joyce had the spirit of determination and resilience from a young age. She grew up as a farm girl, being educated in a two-room schoolhouse then moving into town with the grandparents for high school. She graduated from high school in 1953 at 16 then attended Emporia State for college where she majored in Business and received a Bachelors. After college she spent four years teaching business at St John High School in Kansas, traveling back to Emporia for the summers until she finished her Masters. Then she decided to leave the small town life and followed her sister, Marjorie, out to Southern California.

In California, she continued teaching at Buena Park High School. Hired as one of the first teachers to open Golden West College where she helped create their business program, teaching whatever classes were needed. With the support of her husband, Joyce pursued a Doctorate in Education from Arizona State University in 1975.

Joyce's journey was intertwined with her husband Paul. They met in 1963 and married shortly thereafter. Together they would raise their two boys, Jim and Jerry, in Huntington Beach. In retirement, they moved to Henderson, Nevada where she said she wanted to live somewhere warm and a place where people would like to come and visit. And they have had visitors from all over the world in the last 24 years. In retirement, they traveled around the world for Joyce’s many workshops and for pleasure.

Joyce was an accomplished author - writing and co-writing 13 books on various business subjects including the electronic office, business presentations, business writing, machine transcription, and business ergonomics. Joyce and Paul founded a company called National Instructional Systems which took them to business conferences around the Western States. She would speak at these conferences and Paul would sell her books and materials.

Joyce retired from California State Polytechnic University after 33 years of teaching. Of course, retirement didn’t stop her from teaching - she increased her reach by conducting workshops and speaking at conferences all over the world, including Swaziland, Russia, Vietnam, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, and France.

Joyce's impact stretched beyond academia; she served for 18 years on the Beaver Run Homeowners Association in Breckenridge, Colorado. She was pivotal in changing the format of the annual HOA meetings from boring to full of pizzazz drawing owners into this key event every April. In her retirement from this board they appointed her as the first Director Emeritus where she continued to serve until late 2022.

Beyond her professional achievements, Joyce was a woman of diverse interests. She always found happiness in books, skiing or boating, vi deo poker, and writing. On her many travels, she was always in search of adding to her miniature typewriter and computer collection. Joyce also loved to watch football, basketball and hockey. Her favorite sports teams were the Green Bay Packers, Golden State Warriors and the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Her last book conference was early November 2022 promoting a rewrite of her book, Writing - A Survival Guide (with co-author Rhonda Rhodes). It was then that she discovered there was a change in her health that she needed to address. That change became her most formidable adversary: brain cancer. She approached this challenge with characteristic fight and determination. Though she had the upper hand on the disease, the complications from treatment and her age were too difficult to overcome. Her son Jim and husband Paul stood by her as pillars of strength, providing care, comfort, and love as she faced her journey's end.

Joyce Kupsh's legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched, the students she inspired, and the communities she enriched. Her spirit of resilience, dedication, and unyielding passion will forever be cherished by her loving husband Paul, her sons Jim and Jerry (Kristin), her cherished grandchildren Dylan, Sydney, Ryan, and Taylor (great grandchildren Tessa, Freya). She is also survived by her older sister, Marjorie Pyle of Cedar Park Texas.

The family is planning A Celebration of Life of Joyce on November 4, 2023 at 11:00am that will be held in Henderson, NV. Those who cannot be there in person will be able to view it on Facebook/YouTube. Details will be posted on Facebook. If you can be at the Celebration in person, please RSVP to Kristin at 925-788-9420 so the family can get a count.