Joyce Anna Swanson (1940 - 2012)
Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce that Joyce Anna Swanson, 72, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, December 23, 2012.
She was born in Elma, Wash., on January 26, 1940, where she lived until her family moved to Huntington Park. Joyce graduated from Huntington Park High School in winter of 1957. She was employed by the City of Huntington Park as their first civilian parking enforcement officer. She really loved riding her Harley trike and writing parking tickets.
In 1968, Joyce attempted to write a parking violation on an individual double-parked in an alleyway, to which she found that the car was owned by her elementary school sweetheart, Duane Swanson. A year later, on July 12, 1969, Duane and Joyce were married.
Joyce was also a graduate of Academy Class #128 of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, January 1969. She worked as a deputy sheriff for ten years at Sybil Brand Institute, a detention facility for female inmates. Joyce loved sharing stories about her escort duty experiences of high profile inmates.
After having children, Joyce continued to utilize all the skills she had learned as a deputy sheriff, while she worked as a cafeteria manager "lunch lady" for the Simi Valley Unified School District. Joyce was active in the community as a den mother in Boy Scouts and a Troop leader for Girl Scouts. She also enjoyed sewing a majority of the costumes for Simi Valley Dance Center's dance competitions, as well as dresses for beauty pageants and non-profit organizations. Joyce enjoyed collecting Shawnee pottery and watching WWE wrestling, as her favorite wrestler was John Cena.
Joyce was a member of Simi Valley Chapter #637 Order of the Eastern Star, Fremont Court #49 Order of the Amaranth, Mokottam Temple #12 Daughters of the Nile, and a majority member of Huntington Park Assembly #170 International Order of the Rainbow for Girls.
Joyce is survived by her beloved husband, Duane; her sister, Arlene Horan; her brother, Richard Pinger; and her five children, Steven Canfield, Carl Swanson (Amy), Shari Madison (Dan), Shelley Swanson, and Shawna Shirk (Robert). She also leaves behind her two grandchildren who she loved dearly, Madison and Timothy Shirk.
Joyce was preceded in death by her mother, Adelle Anne Pinger and her father, Wilbert Arthur Pinger. Services for Joyce will be held at Reardon Mortuary on Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 1 p.m. There is a public viewing at 11:30 a.m. Burial services will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Joyce's favorite charity; Best Friends Animal Society 5001 Angel Canyon Road Kanab, UT 84741, (435) 644-2001, www.bestfriends.org. Please indicate that your donation is in memory of Joyce Swanson.
