Life story

"Joyce Conger of Stafford, Virginia died on August 29, 2023 with her son Kurt by her side after a long struggle with dementia. She was born on June 11, 1931 in Repton, Alabama to Allie and Ollie Baggett.

Joyce left Alabama at age 19 to work as a clerk/typist for the FBI in 1950, which began her long career in the US civil service. Her work with the Department of the Army took her to France and the Philippines in the 1950s and 60s. Joyce worked briefly as a Realtor in Woodbridge, Virginia but returned to civil service with the Corp of Engineers Rivers and Harbors Board in 1975 and worked there until her retirement in 1993. In retirement, Joyce did volunteer work, traveled, and become an avid golfer.

In 1964 Joyce married Harold “Vic” Conger. The couple and their infant son David moved to Virginia in 1966. Joyce and Vic separated in 1974 and did not reunite before Vic’s death in 1984. As a single parent, Joyce balanced a full-time career with raising two sons in a loving and supportive home. She was a highly regarded administrator and supervisor at work and devoted Cub Scout den mother and soccer mom at home.

Joyce was a member of Good Shepard United Methodist Church from 1967 until her death.

Joyce is survived by her sons David and Kurt, her granddaughter Rhiannon, her brothers Gerald, James, and Larry, and her sister Joan. She is predeceased by her parents, brothers Carlos and Curtis, and sisters Barbara and Ruth.

A celebration of Joyce’s life will be held on Saturday, September 23, 2023, beginning at 2:00 PM at Good Shepard United Method Church, 14999 Birchdale Ave., Dale City, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, Joyce’s family asks for donations in her name to either St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or to the Alzheimer’s Association."