Kimberly Ann Ryberg of New Market, Alabama, passed away on December 26th, 2023, at the age of 57. Kim was born on December 28th, 1965, in Mansfield, Louisiana, to Linda Smull Toney and the late August Ryberg, Jr. She is survived by her parents, Linda and Ron Toney of New Market, Alabama; her sister, Sonja Ryberg and nephew, Malcolm Green, both of Marietta, Georgia; her cousins Wendy Wiedenhoff, Steve Smull, Kevin Smull, Stephanie Buske, Cindy Martch, Julie Nicely, Courtney Sturges, and their families; her aunts Audrey Jacks, Ginny Farmer, and Eleanor Blackburn; and the nieces and nephews of Ron Toney.
Her family moved to Madison, Alabama, when she was six weeks old. She attended Monrovia Elementary School, Harvest Junior High School, and graduated from Sparkman High School in 1984. She graduated from The University of Alabama with a degree in Criminal Justice in 1988 and the Birmingham School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1994. She was a member in good standing of the Alabama State Bar Association since 1995. On December 11th, 2023, she was awarded a Master of Arts in Teaching – Elementary Education from The University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Kim was passionate about volunteering her time, knowledge, and talents to make the lives of others better. At various times in her life, she volunteered at AIDS Alabama, the Birmingham Crisis Center, the Crisis Services of North Alabama, and at the Next Chapter Book Club Project hosted at the downtown branch of the Huntsville/Madison County Library System in which she promoted the joy of reading in adult individuals with developmental disabilities. She was looking forward to encouraging children to have this same love of reading and learning as a teacher. She also helped countless people while working for 23 years as a Social Security disability attorney.
A lover of travel, country music, baking, JRR Tolkien, dragons, Star Trek, and the beach, Kim had a quick wit and a generous heart. Even though she didn’t have a dog herself, she would keep dog food on hand in case a hungry stray found its way to her. She played the piano as a child and took up lessons again as an adult, having never lost her joy for music. She enjoyed spending time with her family playing Rook, going on white water rafting trips, having family gatherings, going to Tybee Island, and having lively political discussions with her nephew whom she doted on from the moment he was born.
A celebration of life will be held at the Hazel Green Funeral Home on January 6th, 2024. The visitation will be from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM and a service will follow from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. The family welcomes anyone who wants to share a happy or funny memory of Kim to do so during the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to firststop.org, an organization in Huntsville that helps people find a path out of homelessness.
Hazel Green Funeral Home is honored to serve the family.
