Joyce Mae Mong

Joyce Mae (Arthur) Mong, wife, mother, grandmother and cherished friend, passed away peacefully on Thursday November 13th, 2025 at the age of 82 in Kent, WA

Born on December 26th, 1942 in Rupert, Idaho, she was the daughter of Reed and Laura Mae Arthur. Joyce grew up in Paul, Idaho with her parents and younger brother Jerry. She participated in Job’s Daughters and held the position of Honor Queen her senior year. She graduated from Minico High School in Rupert, Idaho in 1961. She later received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of Idaho in 1965, where she was a proud member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority. At the University of Idaho, she held the title of the first female organizer of Homecoming in 1964.

After graduating in June of 1965, she married her steady boyfriend from Minico and U of Idaho, Alvin Mong. They moved to Seattle, WA that summer for his job at Boeing. In Washington, she began teaching English at middle and high schools in the area. Over the years she was a familiar face in many local schools including Nelson Middle School (Renton), Auburn High School (Auburn), Mattson Jr High (Kent) and Kentridge High School (Kent), where she retired. As part of her time at Kentridge, she was also the Journalism and Girls Honor Advisor.

She will be remembered for her welcoming smile, inquisitive nature, love of learning, connection with others, personal thank you notes and ability to color coordinate clothes and jewelry. She also leaves a legacy of an ongoing book club started over 50 years ago and the Fairwood Library in Renton, for which she was an important advocate. She loved to read and travel and made sure to cover both extensively. At any given time, she could reminisce about trips and the details of them like it was yesterday. She loved plays and musicals and had season tickets to the Seattle Repertory Theater for over 40 years. She was in many clubs and activities and often held officer positions during her participation. Her most memorable activities were in the American Association of University Women Renton Chapter and Friends of the Library at Fairwood. She organized and attended Gourmet Dinner and Dine Out adventures with many in her community. She was a founding and active member of the Fairwood United Methodist Church in Renton, WA.

She was also dedicated her to her family; children Michelle, born in 1972 and Michael, born in 1975. She was a firm believer in staying busy and productive and provided transportation to and from soccer, baseball, cheer, art and music lessons, scouts, friend’s houses and the library. She was always there to make birthdays and holidays special. She enjoyed a good gathering.

At age 80, the physical limitations of ten years of Parkinson’s finally impacted her profoundly. She moved from the Renton home she raised her children in to Assisted Living in Kent. She

continued to live an emotionally active life with frequent visitors, times with family and new friends and watching the Seahawks and Mariners.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Reed and Laura Mae Arthur. She is survived by her brother Jerry (Cindy) Arthur (Paul, Idaho), husband, Alvin Mong (Renton, WA) and children, Michelle (Covington, WA) and Michael (Renton, WA). She also has three grandchildren, Macy and Parker Mong (Anacortes, WA) and Jake Ryan (Covington, WA).

A memorial service will be held at Fairwood United Methodist Church in Renton, WA, where she was a founding member. The service will be in the beginning of January 2026. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the King County Library System in her honor.