Services for Joyce Strandberg
Joyce Corrine Strandberg, 79 of Clearbrook, passed away peacefully with the morning sunshine shining down on her bed on Saturday, July 30, 2016 at Ecumen Parmley LifePointes in Chisago City, MN where Joyce enjoyed the last few months of her life after suffering a stroke in early April.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Samhold Lutheran Church in Gonvick, MN with the Reverend Kris Snyder officiating. Inurnment will be at Oak Park Cemetery, rural Clearbrook. The Cease Family Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Joyce was born March 8, 1937 in Fosston, Minnesota to Clarence and Josie Bjerklie. She was baptized and confirmed at Sand Valley Lutheran Church of Trail. She attended school in Trail and Oklee and graduated high school in 1956. After graduating, Joyce helped on the family farm and started working a part-time job babysitting a few neighbor children. She then became employed as a grocery store clerk at Melby’s in Gonvick. She lived with her dear friend Grace (Gunderson) Larson for a few years before marrying.
On June 12, 1965, Joyce was united in marriage to Emil Strandberg at Lund Lutheran Church, Gully. Joyce continued to work in Gonvick while supporting all the activities of the farm, including milking cows by hand, tending dairy and beef cattle and raising large gardens.
Joyce was a loving mother to her son, Mark and daughter, Erica. She demonstrated her love through providing a home filled with consistency, care and routine – the farm schedule, along with a part-time job demanded this way of life. Joyce’s days started before dawn as a wife and mother and ended well after dark. A home cooked meal was placed on the table for every meal. Her suppers were always especially delicious and consistently offered meat, potatoes and a vegetable – all of which were usually home grown.
Joyce’s pleasant smile and friendly, courteous help greeted many grocery store customers in Gonvick for over fifty years. Store owners changed over the years, but Joyce’s presence did not. She saw generations grow up and was there to welcome the next generation as busy mothers hurried in for groceries or hungry kids came through the store for snacks after school. She enjoyed the social life of the grocery store and seeing customers who became friends.
Joyce enjoyed cooking and providing a satisfying meal to her family. She will be remembered by friends and relatives for many birthday party meals that offered her traditional scalloped potatoes, sloppy joes, baked beans, fruit salad and her delicious angel food cake with butter frosting. Holiday meals were yet another time her husband, children and grandchildren looked forward to each year. Making lefse for holidays was a tradition that she has passed on to her children and grandchildren. All would agree her lefse was the best. She continued to bake, and her family just recently enjoyed the last tastes of her lefse and cookies found carefully stored in her freezer.
Joyce enjoyed gardening and loved most the first taste of “new potatoes” from the garden each summer. She could grow carrots and beautiful geraniums like few others could. She had a patience and special touch for being a good caretaker to everything from plants and animals to her children and grandchildren.
As a grandmother, Joyce cared deeply with worry, concern and tender love and care. Her grandson Tyler spent the most time with his Grandma. Tyler was fortunate to have her close and would sometimes check with his mother, and then his grandma in regard to what was on the table for supper. Of course if grandma said she’d make meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy, she knew she’s have Tyler for supper. Her granddaughters, Amelia and Brianna, loved to come to Grandma’s because she always had ice cream and loved giving it in a cone to enjoy – any time of year.
Joyce is survived by one son, Mark (Jenell) of Clearbrook, MN; one daughter Erica (Eric) Bjerketvedt of North Branch, MN; one grandson, Tyler John Strandberg and two granddaughters, Amelia Joy and Brianna Grace Bjerketvedt. She is also survived by her two brothers: Orvis (Delores) Bjerklie and Dale (Cindy) Bjerklie as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband.