Helen Stayton

Kerrville Joan Stayton, 81, of Kerrville, passed from this life on June 20, 2011, at her home after an 81 year adventure.

The adventure started on January 24, 1930, when she was born to Howard Gould and Harriet Stout Wilson, Sr, in White Plains, NY.

At the age of 12, her family moved to La Porte, IN where she would graduate from high school. Joan attended and graduated from the Christian College for Women in Columbia, MO, where she met and became lifelong friends with 7 other women, the group was named ELMS Eight Luscious Morons.

In June of 1949, she married Richard Stayton and they had 4 children, Jeffery, James, Janice and Jon. In 1960, she left La Porte with the quot4 Jsquot and moved to Kerrville, to be closer with her parents.

In Kerrville, she worked for the KISD as Alfred Bells assistant until 1963, when she married Robert Sieker. They owned and operated the Kerrville Flying Service until selling it in 1973 and moved to Glencross, SD and purchased a ranch, Joans next adventure.

She and her son, Jon, ran the ranch and remodeled the old General Store in Glencross, opening it up as a restaurant and bar called the quotBranding Ironquot. A family affair, Joan, Jon, Shirley Stayton, Rene Wilson and Diana Aberle all had a hand in operating it.

Joan served as the Dewey County Auditor and the Director of Equalization before her adventure took her farther west to Santa Fe, NM, to be closer to her daughter, Janice, and she became the Director of the Santa Fe Animal Shelter until she retired back to Kerrville in 1995.

Not wanting to retire, she became the office manager for the Hill Country Realty, the Colonial Realty.

Very active with the mixed doubles singing group, she really enjoyed her time with them.

She was predeceased by her parents, her son, James quotJimmy, a grandson, DJ Stayton, her brother, Howard quotBudquot Wilson and her sisterinlaw, Lorene quotRenequot Wilson.

Those left to honor and cherish her memory are her children, Jon Stayton of Menard, niece and caregiver, Diana Tom Wilson Aberle of Glencross, SD, son, Jeffery Vicki Stayton of Spotsylvania, VA, daughter Janice Franny Stayton of Pacific Grove, CA, stepsons, Robert Cheryl Sieker and Fred Susan Sieker grandchildren, James Stayton, Kristie Palmer, Josh Stayton, Jessica Stayton, Rachel Stayton, Jessica Stayton, Robert Sieker, Emily Sieker, Bryan Schmidt, Lynette Schmidt, Daniel Sieker and Emily Sieker 3 great grandchildren, Devon, Avery and Baylee nieces and nephews, including Terry, Christopher and Grant Aberle, Pam Massengale, Craig and Kirk Wilson and a special friend, Carol Wever, and the quotELMSquot.

A celebration of her life will be held at Kerrville Funeral Home on Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 6PM.

The family suggests that donations be made to the FreemanFritz Animal Shelter, the Dietert Center or Peterson Hospice.

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