Joyce A. Kuenster
Joyce Ann Kuenster, 86, of Farmersburg passed on to heaven on Friday, Aug. 17, 2018, at the Guttenberg Care Center.
Visitation was Tuesday Aug. 21, at Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Monona and one hour before services at the church on Wednesday.
Funeral services were Wednesday, Aug. 22, at St John’s Lutheran Church, Farmersburg.
Burial was in Tipton Masonic Cemetery, Tipton on Thursday, Aug. 23.
Joyce was born on July 19, 1932, in Moline, Ill., the only child of Roy and Vera Johnson. She moved with her parents to Tipton and grew up in the home of her grandparents. She attended Tipton High School graduating in 1950. On Sept. 3, 1950, she married Vernon E. Kuenster of Chicago at the home of her grandparents. Vern had been working for Chicago Livestock and they met while he was in Eastern Iowa. They lived for a short period in Tipton and then moved to Guttenberg where Vern was involved in the livestock business and ultimately owned Kuenster Stockyards in Farmersburg and Luana for over 40 years.
Joyce and Vern lived for over 60 years in their home outside of Farmersburg and raised their five children there. She had a great eye for design, loved decorating and spent her spare time wallpapering, painting and re-wallpapering and painting, and generally moving things around until they were exactly what she liked. She also enjoyed flowers, gardening, antiques, estate sales, junk stores, shopping, and eating out. She knew her way around the best antique and craft stores in the area and also worked for a period of time at the former Buttery in Elkader.
After Vern’s retirement, they spent many summers at their property on Ambro Island in Prairie du Chien. While she was not a water fan (did not know how to swim) she joined Vern in the fishing boat always wearing a life vest. She also shopped all of her favorite spots in Prairie while there and enjoyed many dinners and parties with the community there.
Joyce was a member of St John’s Lutheran Church in Farmersburg for over 50 years. She served many years with the women’s organization of the church and had many wonderful friends there. After Vern’s death in August of 2013, she moved to Monona and after a short stint in Arizona, in 2016 moved into Garden View Senior Community until May of this year. During this time, she was able to travel more, and visit children and grandchildren in North Carolina, Illinois, California, and Arizona.
She is survived by her five children who she cared for and loved, Linda Kuenster of Surprise, Ariz., Sue and Bill Baaden, Newport Beach, Calif., Jill and Steven Hill of Oswego, Ill., Scott Kuenster of Boone, and Steven and Denise Kuenster of Farmersburg; 10 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents and her loving husband.
In lieu of flowers memorials can be directed to St. John Lutheran Church, Farmersburg.
