March 17, 1931 - February 25, 2021
Joyce Kilmer Reister, 89, of Hamilton, passed away on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at home.
Born March 17, 1931 in Hopewell, where she was raised, Joyce graduated from Princeton High School, Class of 1949. She later attended Mercer County Vo-Tech School of Nursing, graduating with her LPN in 1969.
Joyce enjoyed polka dancing and playing cards and most of all socializing. She felt caring for others was her calling in life, so she became a nurse, and she loved her work. Joyce was a shift supervisor of South Wing at Mercerville Center for over 20 years until her retirement. She then went to work part-time for Dr. B. Chowdhury for the next 20 years until her health forced her to permanently retire.
She married her first husband Gerald D. Laird Sr. in 1950, and they had two children. In 1977 she married Fred W. Reister and they remained married until his death in December of 2019.
Daughter of the late Robert & Martha (Ackerman) Kilmer.
wife of the late Fred W. Reister; sister of the late Roberta K. Allen, sister-in-law of the late Kenneth Allen and Walter Dye; aunt of the late Douglas Allen; and predeceased by her former husband Gerald D. Laird, Sr.; Joyce is survived by her daughter, Deborah Laird Maloney, her son Gerald D. (Linda), Laird Jr.; her ‘favorite son-in-law’, Bill Maloney; stepsons, Fred (Virginia) Reister, and Gene Reister; brother Donald (Constance) Kilmer, and sister Marianne Dye; grandsons Sean Maloney and Liam (Kaela Moore) Maloney; granddaughters, Sarah (Chris) Howard, Amanda (Anthony) Racioppi, Alyssa (Nick) Zucchero, and Gerri (Joseph Leone) Laird; step-grandsons, Frederick Reister, Richard (Anya) Reister, Scott (Allyson) Reister; step-granddaughters, Jennifer (Robert) Zane, Robin (Andi) Reister; great-grandchildren Seraphina, Lucia, Finnegan Howard, and Alessandra, Anthony Racioppi, and step-great-grandchildren Nathan and Dylan Zane; Mallory, Ryan, Sammy, Shayna, Arielle and Elon Reister.
She is also survived by several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews: her best friend Judy Mariani, Jeanie Jones, Sonyk Billingsley her buddy Christian Jones and her cat Georgie.
Joyce’s family wants to acknowledge with gratitude the excellent care Jeanie gave Mom. We also want to acknowledge the Holy Redeemer staff and their Hospice staff for the incredible support and care they have provided over the years. Beginning in 2018 with Janee and then transferring to the hospice staff of Winsome, Lynna and the rest of the nurses and social workers, we always felt cared for and supported, and Joyce got excellent care from all of them.
Due to circumstances surrounding the Covid-19 Virus, there will only be a graveside service on Monday, March 8, 2021, 11:00 AM, at Highland Cemetery in Hopewell NJ.
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