John Kirley, Jr.

John H. Kirley, Jr., 88, of Rapid City, passed away May 22, 2016 at Custer Regional Senior Care. He was born in Hugo, CO, on October 24, 1927, to John and Beulah Kirley. When John was an infant, the Kirley family moved to a ranch near Orton Flat in Stanley County, SD. There, John grew to be a hardworking cowboy, devoted son and loving protector as the lone son among nine sisters. In 1958, John met and married the love of his life, a beautiful waitress named Joyce Fields. They moved from a ranch to Pierre in 1961, where John served as a driver’s license examiner. In 1978, his work transferred him to Rapid City where he was supervisor of the driver’s exam station until his early retirement. After retiring from the state, John worked at various jobs. Known to be hardworking, compassionate, and kind, John was not only a gentleman, but a gentle man. He loved his family, watching baseball, fishing and country dancing with Joyce. His family will fondly remember him as a forever-cowboy, with his hat, boots and love for country music, and for the joy he took from caring for animals, especially horses and dogs. During the last couple of years, he has been lovingly cared for in Custer by Dr. Joy Falkenburg and the wonderful staffs at Wedgwood Assisted Living and Custer Regional Senior Care. He will be missed by his surviving family, daughters, Pamela (Robert) Slocum and Sheri (John) Heaton; grandchildren Andrea Slocum, Mark (Samantha) Slocum, Rita (Kevin) Geiss and Alexander Heaton; and sisters Elaine (Robert) Kloss and Susanne Kirley as well as by his extended family and many friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce; grandson John Slocum; sisters Phyllis Kirley, Leone Kirley, Joyce Huston, Eloyde Tovey, Josephine Ellis, Gertrude Nale and Laurin Hagen.