Mrs. Delores Joyce Wathen, 93, of Overland Park, formerly of Princeton, Illinois and Dover, Illinois, passed away at 2:15 a.m. Monday, October 12, 2020, at Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

Mrs. Wathen was born on August 22, 1927, in Dover, Ill., to Joseph and Glenna (Dickenson) Rieker. She married Verle R. Wathen in Princeton, Ill on June. 4, 1949. Mr. Wathen passed away November 2008.  She has always used and goes by and people always call her Joyce.

She is survived by her 2 sons, Stephen Wathen of Littleton, Colorado, Mike Wathen of Overland Park. She also has 2 granddaughters, Julia K. Fox of Littleton, Colorado, Miranda C. Laughlin of Seekonk, Massachusetts.  She is also blessed with six great-grandchildren.

Also surviving is one brother, Gary Rieker of Princeton, Illinois.

She was preceded in death by her parents; 3 sisters Shirley, Joanne, and Maxine and one brother Joe Jr.

Delores graduated from Malden, Illinois High School in 1945, and met her husband (who returned from the War as a Navy veteran) in 1947 in Princeton, Illinois.

They were both members of the Princeton First United Methodist Church where they were married in 1949.  Delores worked at Citizens First National Bank for years as an accountant with no college training.   They lived in Princeton until June 1979 when they moved to Overland Park, Kansas due to Verle’s promotion with AgriPro.

Mrs. Wathen was cremated at the Cremation Society of Kansas and Missouri.

A graveside service at Oakland Cemetery, Princeton, Illinois will occur once the Covid-19 pandemic is eradicated and considered safe by everyone.