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Wilken, Joyce Marie (1923 - 2020)

WILKEN, ALBRECHT, MILLER, KEEFE, DOLL, KUEHN, POWELL

Posted By: Carol Auen (email)
Date: 8/28/2020 at 20:14:34

Joyce Marie Wilken
January 31, 1923 - June 22, 2020

Joyce Marie Wilken, age 97, of Odebolt, Iowa passed away on Monday, June 22, 2020, at the Odebolt Specialty Care of Odebolt, Iowa.

A Private Family Funeral Service will be held at the Trinity Lutheran Church of Odebolt, Iowa. Rev. David Viggers will officiate. Committal will follow in the Odebolt Cemetery of Odebolt, Iowa. The Christensen-Van Houten Funeral Home of Odebolt, Iowa is in charge of the funeral arrangements.

Joyce Marie (Albrecht) Wilken was born on January 31, 1923, on a farm north of Wall Lake, Iowa. She was the eldest daughter of Ella (Kowalke) Albrecht and Ed J. Albrecht and their last surviving child. Joyce was baptized and confirmed at Peace Lutheran Church in Wall Lake. In 1940 she graduated from Wall Lake High School, where she was an outstanding basketball player. Following graduation, she did secretarial work for the Wall Lake Schools before moving to Des Moines to receive training at the American Institute of Business and then worked for the State of Iowa. She shared an apartment with several other young women who became lifelong friends.

While working in Des Moines, she began dating Russell Henry Wilken, who was also a member of Peace Lutheran’s Walther League organization. For their first date, Russ took her to a dance at the Cobblestone Ballroom in Storm Lake, where band leader Lawrence Welk and his orchestra were performing. Their courtship continued long distance after Russ joined the U.S. Merchant Marines during World War II.

On June 23, 1946, Joyce and Russ married at Peace Lutheran. A few months later Russ’s stint in the Merchant Marines ended and they began farming east of Odebolt. In 1952 Russ and Joyce rented a farm south of Odebolt owned by Grace and Lillian Hanson. A few years later they purchased that farm, which became their home for most of their lives. They were the parents of four children: Mary Jo, Kathy, GayNelle, and David.

Joyce was an excellent cook, gardener and seamstress. She was thrifty, industrious, and an independent thinker. When her youngest child reached middle school age, she returned to work part time, taking a secretarial job first with attorney Russ Wunschel in Wall Lake and later with attorney Laurel Boerner in Odebolt.

In the years after their son David married and returned to live on the family farm, Russ and Joyce took great pleasure in having grandchildren close by and enjoyed attending their athletic games. Following Russ’s 2003 death, Joyce continued to live on the family farm, aided by Dave and his family.

Joyce was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Odebolt until she reached her mid-nineties. She had served as president of the church’s Ladies Aid and in later years took part in the church’s quilting group.

Following her son’s 2017 death, Joyce moved to Lake View, Iowa, at the age of 94. She continued to live on her own for the next two years with the help of her daughters Kathy and Mary Jo and their husbands. She maintained a keen intellect and enjoyed spirited discussions with Pastor David Viggers during his visits.

Over the years, Joyce baked millions of cinnamon rolls and sent hundreds of greeting cards to family and friends. When she entered Odebolt Specialty Care at age 96, she remained determinedly cheerful, approaching her physical therapy with enthusiasm and frequently inquiring as to the welfare of other residents and staff.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Russell Wilken; her son David Russell Wilken; son-in-law Dan Gordon Doll; an infant granddaughter; and six siblings: Loren Albrecht, Norma Sommer, Dale Albrecht, Gloria Thompson, Mavis Suckow, and Bonnie Diepholtz.

She is survived by daughters Mary Jo (Duane) Miller of Urbandale, IA, Kathy (Jim) Keefe of Ocala, FL and GayNelle Doll of Madison, TN; daughter-in-law Twyla Prall-Wilken of rural Odebolt, IA; and eight grandchildren: Jennifer Miller Kuehn, Jill Miller, Jeremy Miller, Dawn Keefe Powell, Ryan Keefe, Blake Wilken, Alayna Wilken, and Tate Wilken. Also surviving are seven great-grandchildren: Adam Powell, Brianna Powell, Tabitha Kuehn, Samantha Kuehn, Riley Wilken, Owen Wilken, and Taylor Wilken. In addition, she is survived by sister-in-law Marge Albrecht.


 

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