Joyce Ann Lopez

Joyce Ann Lopez. Age 50. After a short battle with cancer. Preceded in death by her grandmother, Bentura Rodriguez. Joyce is survived by her loving husband Kyle Gilats, her mother Ambrosia Lopez, her cats Mocha and Kaja, a large extended family, and a clutch of close-knit friends. Joyce grew up in St. Paul. She attended Highland Park Senior High, Hamline University, where she received a B.A. in English, and St. Catherine University, where she earned a graduate degree in library sciences. Joyce was passionate about politics and the advancement of marginalized people. She had a strong identity as a Latina woman. Joyce worked at Barnes & Noble for sixteen years, working her way up to music supervisor at the downtown Minneapolis store. For the last ten years, Joyce worked at the Minnesota Historical Society. She joined MNHS as a reference assistant in the Gale Family Library in 2015 and served as a digitization supervisor for the collections digitization team beginning in June 2022. She worked closely with her team to build a successful program digitizing manuscripts collections, government records, library materials, and sound and visual collections, as well as work for the Minnesota Digital Library. Joyce loved The Monkees. She and Kyle traveled far and wide to see The Monkees in concert, even as the band dwindled in size. Over the years she met the four band members and got their autographs, achieving a key bucket-list item. Joyce had a real weakness for Hello Kitty. From totes to t-shirts, she was often decked out in Hello Kitty attire. Let’s face it: From Joyce’s perspective Cats Rule. Joyce had a wry wit and a hearty laugh that sparkled with irony. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to Minnesota Historical Society or Animal Humane Society. Visitation Monday, August 4, 4:00–7:00 p.m., Kessler & Maguire Funeral Home, 640 7th St W, St. Paul.  Tuesday, August 5, 10:00 a.m. Visitation followed by funeral mass at 11, St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, 398 Superior St, St. Paul. Private interment.