Joyce Evelyn Birkner, 68, formerly of McLeansboro, died Sunday, January 30, 2000, at her home in Norfolk, Virginia, of heart failure.
She had been a cardiac special care registered nurse.
She was born on December 13, 1931 in Peoria, Illinois to Roy Eugene Rayburn and Mary Alice (Roller) Copus. She married Conrad Birkner on November 21, 1949. He died in 1976.
She was a member of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church at Norfolk Naval Base.
Surviving are two daughters, Linda (husband James) Pressler of Norfolk and Connie (husband Larry) Booten of Harrisburg; a son, Jeffery (wife Angie) of Bloomfield, Iowa; a brother, Paul Belcher of Peoria; a half brother, Eugene Tiernan of Houston; five grandchildren, Keith, Justin, and Jaden Birkner, Rachel Pressler and Julia Conner; and a great-grandchild. Her husband, Conrad, died in 1976.
Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 5, 2000 at St. Clement Catholic Church in McLeansboro, with burial in the church cemetery.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and two half-brothers.
Friends may call from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, February 4, 2000 at Gholson Funeral Home, with a rosary at 7:00 p.m.