Joyce Elaine Olson, 74, died on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, at Azria Health Rose Vista Nursing Home in Woodbine. She was born on July 5, 1950, in Dunlap, to Virgil Maurice and Esther Margaret (Laubscher) (Keuter) Olson. She was baptized on Mar. 5, 1956, at the St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Dunlap. Joyce lived with her parents in Dunlap and then the family moved to multiple rural locations including Ute, Soldier, Denison and finally in town in Denison. As a young girl on the farm, Joyce would ride her bicycle and walk all over. Granny usually found the family dog waiting at the end of a corn row giving away her location. Joyce’s early education was private classes funded by her parents and other donations at the Turin Public School, later named the Sun Valley School. Even with her learning disabilities, she learned to read and write at a 3rd/4th grade level and to perform math tasks at a 2nd/3rd grade level. Joyce began attending work activity services at WECSO Industries in 1975. In 1981, she moved to REM Leadway in Shelby. She participated in academics, ceramics and woodshop. Joyce preferred her time in the “Bummers” program, which was a preretirement activity. She enjoyed being “retired”. Joyce then lived in several HCBS Waiver apartments in Shelby. She then moved to Council Bluffs, and lived with her host family before moving into Rose Vista in Woodbine.
Joyce attended summer camps quite often, beginning with the camp sponsored by Crossroads of Western Iowa in Onawa. She looked forward to taking part in camp activities. Joyce loved to travel with her mother and other family members. She was able to vacation in Florida, Arizona and South Dakota. Joyce enjoyed gatherings of family and friends. Holidays were very important to her and her July 5th birthday was usually celebrated with everyone on July 4th. She especially loved food and was a hearty eater and loved desserts! Joyce had unusual talents. She filled the roll of perpetual calendar, as she was able to cite the birthdates of all the family members, including the day of the week. She could play the accordion and piano by ear, never having had a lesson. Joyce also had a wicked sense of humor and enjoyed comedies, including “Ridiculousness”. Her favorite movie was “Peanut Butter Falcon”. Joyce could pop off some swear words and was sure to state, “I’m Disappointed” or “Period!” when feeling so. Joyce enjoyed volunteering at the community meal site in Harlan where her usual job was setting out salt and pepper shakers. She liked to color and enjoyed swiping on the IPAD for games.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents and brother, John ‘Jack’ Keuter. She is survived by her sister, Marie (Keuter) (Seufert) Adkins; sister-in-law, Phyllis (Torgerson) Keuter; numerous nieces and nephews; host family, Chris, Paula and Cady Gibbons; and many other relatives and friends.
A memorial service was held on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, at Fouts Funeral Home in Dunlap. Beth Fouts presided over the service. The recorded musical selections were “The Old Rugged Cross” by Alan Jackson and “Amazing Grace” by Reba McEntire. Joyce’s final resting place is at the Soldier Lutheran Cemetery.
Fouts Funeral Home in Dunlap was in charge of arrangements. www.foutsfuneralhome.com
