Obituary of Joyce Wilhelmina Bjerke

Joyce Bjerke passed peacefully on April 3, 2025 after turning 80 five days before. When Joyce welcomed you into her life, she always made certain you knew you were important and loved. She taught us to say “yes” to opportunities to meet new people or try new things.  

Joyce was born March 28, 1945, in Freeport, Minnesota, to Monica and Sylvester Rose. She was the cherished younger sister of Shirley and Lou – even though Shirley and Lou sold Joyce to a neighbor for a nickel; thankfully the neighbor returned Joyce home when she needed a diaper change.  

Joyce grew up in Sterns County. After high school, her spirit of adventure drew her to Minneapolis where she met her husband, Howard Bjerke. Together, they built a life filled with love and laughter. They raised two children, Shawna and Nate in a home that was always full of activity. Joyce made sure her house was the one where Shawna and Nate and their friends would spend time not just because the cupboards were always full of snacks, but because Joyce showed genuine interest and kindness to everyone who visited her home.   

She and Howard were Shawna and Nate’s super fans. Her prideful smile beamed on the ski hill watching Shawna, the football bleachers watching Nate or in the basketball gym rotating between their games.  

Joyce loved adventure and the outdoors. Family vacations were spent skiing, boating, hiking, riding dirt bikes and even Thanksgiving in Tiajuana!  

Joyce dedicated 35 years of her life to serving others as a paraprofessional in the Mounds View School District at Oak Grove Alternative High School. The compassion she showed her students stuck with them; many of whom stayed in touch long after they graduated.  

Joyce would probably tell us her best times were spent as an adoring grandmother to CJ, Howie, Avery, Oliver, Lila and Tate. Her grandkids remember sleepovers, watching movies in footy pajamas, hiking with her and Grandpa Howard, snow-shoeing, or one-on-one time with Granma in her kayak. Joyce loved vacationing with her kids and grandkids whether it was the beach in Mexico or the mountains in Montana – she was the grandma who played rather than watched the kids play. Just like she did for Shawna and Nate, Joyce loved watching her grandkids play in hockey rinks, soccer and baseball fields, and basketball gyms.  

After Howard’s passing in 2012, Joyce found her independence but was quickly hit with dementia. She fought her dementia with a sense of humor, once even pretending she did not recognize Nate until she hugged him, yelling “Gotcha!”  

We all miss you, Joyce, and are forever grateful for your friendship, your lessons and your love.  

Rather than holding a public service, Joyce’s family asks that you visit her page on the Alzheimer’s Association web-site and consider making a donation:   http://act.alz.org/goto/joycebjerke.