Biography Overview
Rosetta Boyce Kyles — known in family circles simply as Rosetta Boyce — lived a life threaded through classrooms, family kitchens, and quiet acts of devotion. Born in southern Missouri circa 1944, she pursued higher education at Lincoln University in Jefferson City and later completed a Master of Arts in Education at Southeast Missouri State University. She moved to the St. Louis area in the mid-1970s and spent more than three decades shaping young minds as a classroom teacher and reading specialist in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. A single mother for much of her adult life, Rosetta balanced the ledger of family, work, and community with a steady hand.
Her life changed direction in 2009 when she was diagnosed with cancer. Treatment followed at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center, and her struggle with illness lasted several years before she passed away on June 1, 2015, at age 71. After her death, her memory became a focal point for family philanthropy and a namesake women’s health pavilion, signaling the way a private life can quietly alter public priorities.
Basic Information
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Rosetta Boyce Kyles (née Boyce) |
| Born | circa 1944, southern Missouri |
| Died | June 1, 2015 (age 71) |
| Education | B.A., Education — Lincoln University; M.A., Education — Southeast Missouri State University |
| Residence (noted) | St. Louis area (moved mid-1970s) |
| Occupation | Schoolteacher; Reading Specialist (30+ years) |
| Health | Cancer diagnosis in 2009; treated at SSM St. Mary’s |
| Posthumous honor | Rosetta Boyce Kyles Women’s Pavilion at SSM St. Mary’s (named 2016) |
| Children | 2 (including Cedric Antonio Kyles, b. April 24, 1964) |
| Grandchildren | 5 (two named: Tiara, Croix, Lucky Rose; three others referenced) |
Family and Relationships
Family was Rosetta’s axis. The household where she raised her children became both classroom and conservatory: lessons in literature and life, discipline and delight. Below is a concise table of immediate family members and salient details.
| Family Member | Relationship | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Floyd “Babe” Boyce | Father | WWII veteran; entrepreneur; gambler; from Caruthersville, Missouri. Colorful life influenced family stories and later inspired a family memoir thread. |
| (Name not provided) | Mother | Managed household through hardship; left marriage after financial loss attributed to gambling. |
| Kittrell Kyles | Husband (deceased) | Employee of Missouri Pacific Railroad; Lincoln University alumnus; died early, leaving Rosetta to raise two children. |
| Cedric Antonio Kyles | Son | Born April 24, 1964; known professionally as Cedric the Entertainer; credits his mother for early encouragement and later philanthropic collaboration. |
| Sharita Kyles Wilson | Daughter | Communications professor (works with family on philanthropy and health initiatives). |
| Tiara Kyles | Granddaughter | Born 1989; keeps a private life; close family ties. |
| Croix Kyles | Grandson | Born 2000. |
| Lucky Rose Kyles | Granddaughter | Born 2003. |
| Two additional grandchildren | Grandchildren | Likely from Sharita; noted in family memorials; names not publicly detailed. |
Rosetta’s relationship with her children was reciprocal: she gave structure and spirit, and they returned that gift through memorialization and community engagement after her death. Cedric’s public profile amplified the family’s philanthropic response to his mother’s health battle, while Sharita’s academic path complemented the family’s advocacy for education and women’s health.
Career, Numbers, and Community Impact
Numbers tell a simple, practical story in Rosetta’s life. Over 30 years in education. Two children raised largely as a single parent. A cancer diagnosis in 2009 that led to six years of medical struggle. A named pavilion in 2016 — a public marker of private suffering. A documented family donation in later years that continued the pattern of giving.
Rosetta’s work as a reading specialist is the kind of steady, cumulative impact that doesn’t generate headlines but changes life trajectories. A teacher in the Ferguson-Florissant School District for three decades, she directly affected hundreds — if not thousands — of students’ reading skills, confidence levels, and academic futures. The ripple of one teacher’s years can be measured in the tally of lives nudged toward success; it’s a small arithmetic that compounds.
Her financial footprint, by design and disposition, remained modest — representative of public school educators of her generation. There are no public records of wealth accumulation or business ventures tied to her name. Instead, her legacy is human capital: children who became professionals and philanthropists, students who carried her lessons forward, and a health-care initiative that bears her name.
Health Struggle and Legacy in Dates and Dollars
- 2009 — Cancer diagnosis; treatment at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center begins.
- 2014 — Family fundraising and tribute activities noted in public events (gala-type recognition and advocacy).
- June 1, 2015 — Rosetta passes away at age 71.
- 2016 — The Rosetta Boyce Kyles Women’s Pavilion at SSM St. Mary’s is established, a concrete legacy in institutional form.
- 2022 — Family philanthropic actions continue, including notable gifts to women’s health initiatives (a documented donation of $25,000 among other charitable gestures).
Those dates form a spine: diagnosis, care, death, institutional recognition, and extended philanthropy. The pavilion and subsequent donations function as continuing currents of influence, channeling the family’s desire to turn personal grief into public goods.
The Echo of Roots: Stories From Caruthersville to the City
Rosetta’s early life carried the imprint of a complex paternal figure. Her father, Floyd “Babe” Boyce, combined the roles of WWII veteran, entrepreneur, and gambler. Family lore describes a man whose risks and charisma altered the family’s fortunes, sculpting a childhood marked by both drama and resilience. These ancestral tales later fed creative work and public storytelling by her son; the narrative of risk, loss, and reinvention became fuel for literature and performance.
Her marriage to Kittrell Kyles — a railroad man and fellow Lincoln University graduate — was another thread, a brief partnership whose early end left Rosetta to steer a household alone. Such rupture clarified her priorities: work, education, and the deliberate raising of children who would carry the family name into new arenas.
A Personal Portrait in Small Details
Rosetta’s life is best read in small details rather than sweeping headlines. She earned degrees when fewer women of her background did. She taught reading — the literal key to opportunity — to generations of students. She navigated single parenthood while maintaining a professional career. She endured a multi-year illness with dignity and inspired family-led work to improve care for other women.
Like a lighthouse that does not seek attention but keeps ships safe, Rosetta’s influence was steady, pragmatic, and enduring. Her story maps the quiet geometry of countless educators: unflashy, indispensable, and ultimately transformational through the people they raise and the institutions they touch.
