Joyce Kneale (1928-2009)

Joyce Kneale 1928 - 2009

Joyce Kneale was a child of the Isle of Man - located between England and Ireland. She had a special love for this place, which was beaten by the waves of the Irish Sea and was the birthplace of her family.

But Joyce was also a great traveler. As part of Initiatives of Change (formerly Moral Re-Armament), she traveled to a series of Asian countries with an international group traveling with a musical play. For several years she lived in Richmond, USA, a city marked by racial unrest. In South Africa she met, among others, the wife of a black politician and at the same time she was friends with white farming families who had been there for generations.

When Joyce's brother Will married Aline, a native of Appenzell, in 1956 in Caux, Joyce was there as a friend of the bride in her national costume. Since then, she was often seen in Eastern Switzerland, in St. Gallen and its surroundings and also on the hills and mountain tops.

Joyce was a lively and direct woman who spoke her mind clearly. Sometimes there were sparks between her and her fellow travelers! As a teacher, she paid special attention to children, students, young people and teachers. She attached great importance to what was happening in the schools.

During her stays in St. Gallen, she could benefit from the generous hospitality of her great friend Marianne. This led to close relationships with the neighborhood and the development of new friendships. New tasks opened up for her, which she fulfilled with joy and enthusiasm, such as visiting friends in the hospital every day.

Joyce is no more. All of us, her old and young friends, miss her and think of her with gratitude.