Fifty-two years of loyal service to High Plains Journal is a record that will likely never be topped.
Joyce Davis, who died July 15, 2025, was remembered by fellow employees for her work at the farm and ranch publication and for her kindness to all employees. Davis worked in the accounting department before her retirement about seven years ago.
It does not take long to realize how important the accounting department was to the success of an operation. Maintaining payable and receivable accounts are important cornerstones to any business.
As news of her death quickly spread many co-workers recognized her contributions to the HPJ family.
Publisher Zac Stuckey remembered Davis as a kind and caring co-worker.
“I remember Joyce when I first started,” Stuckey said. “She was always very sweet to me and helped with anything I needed as I began my career at HPJ.”
Retired publisher Tom Taylor said, “Joyce was a very dedicated worker and detail-oriented.”
He remembered her as straight forward, a team player who was not only dedicated to her job, but to the comany itself.
Lawrence Lampe who was Davis’ supervisor for more than 20 years said she was an employee who always put the clients and customers first. “Joyce was well-respected by the staff and the place together for a long time.”
Marla Kurtz, worked with Davis for many years in the accounting department, and one story that was told to her by Joyce was about her early years at HPJ when the publication was located at the former Leonard Tire building south of the railroad tracks, in Dodge City, Kansas.
In 1965, a major flood hit the area, and yet HPJ continued to print. “Joyce remembered going to Joe Berkely’s (the first HPJ publisher) house where accounting functions for several weeks were carried out at a dining room table,” Kurtz said.
That was a tangible demonstration of her commitment to getting the publication into the hands of subscribers, Kurtz said.
Rod Swafford, who worked in the livestock department for 30 years, remembered Davis as “Always steady and eager to help. Joyce always greeted me with a smile.”
In Davis’ more than five decades of dedicated proficiency, she only worked for Berkely and three other publishers—Duane Ross, Taylor and Holly Martin.
As her obituary noted, “Joyce worked 52 years at the High Plains Journal, where she was known for her dedication and strong work ethic. Her time at the High Plains Journal resulted in many lifelong friendships.”
I was one of the fortunate ones to know her and enjoy her sense of humor and warm smile that greeted me and many others at HPJ. Successful companies are built with loyal employees, and no one exemplified that better than Davis.
Davis retired about seven years ago and continued to follow her children and grandchildren. Her husband, Kenneth, who survives, worked for many years at Foley Tractor, which was just east of the former HPJ headquarters. The way Joyce and Kenneth interacted, I could see they had a special relationship.
Joyce is survived by her three children, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, three brothers, and one sister. Funeral services were July 19 at the Ziegler Funeral Chapel in Dodge City, Kansas.
The family suggests memorials to the Ford County 4-H Foundation in care of Ziegler Funeral Chapel, 1901 N. 14th Ave., Dodge City, KS 67801.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
