Joyce Carolyn King Hahn passed away suddenly on May 11, 2022. Known for finding joy in the everyday as well as the extraordinary, Joyce was born June 6, 1939, in Morgantown, the only child of John and Edna King. Although she lost her mother at age 11, she was loved and supported by her stepmother, Daphne King.
She graduated from Morgantown High School in 1957 and West Virginia University in 1960. She also earned her master’s degree in library science at the University of Kentucky in 1974. Joyce and O.J. married in 1960. In their 62 years of marriage, they enjoyed living in Princeton, N.J., Peterborough, Canada and Essen, Germany. In 1967, the family settled in Lexington, Ky.
She is survived by her husband, Dr. O.J. Hahn; three children and grandchildren, Renata (Patrick, Cullen, Jewelie, Luke, Ezra and Bennett), Thomas with wife Laura (Sarah, Will and Stuart) and Stephen with wife Sushannah (Sam, Maggie and Olivia). Extended family from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, include sister-in-law Brigitte Kuehne; and nephews, Herbert, John and Tony and niece Cathy and their families.
Active in her church, Southern Hills United Methodist, she was president, vice president and section chair of Methodist Women. Always involved in an adventure, Joyce was a Girl Scout, Girl Scout Leader and troop leader for the Campfire Girls for over 10 years.
Professionally, she was an elementary school librarian for Fayette County Public Schools and was active in the American Library Association and Kentucky Library Association. Joyce worked 24 years at Southern Elementary School. She produced a daily television show with students called The Rainbow Review. She saw every student weekly in the library. Some years, enrollment was as high as 1100. Her love of the library instilled the joy of reading in the children she touched. She retired in 2004 to invest more time in her grandchildren, new places to visit and raising flowers and trees. She remained active in her community as an election worker for 18 years as well as a content reader for Radio Eye until the onset of the pandemic in 2020. She will be missed.
Services were held at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home and Southern Hills United Methodist Church in Lexington, Ky.
Condolences and contacts appreciated to Dr. O.J Hahn at ojhahn1@uky.edu.
