Obituary of Joyce Edith Holmer Gustafson

died on November 18, in the presence of her family, at Lyngblomsten Care Center in St. Paul, where she had lived for 8 ½ years following a stroke. She was 89 years old. Born to Paul and Elsie Holmer on April 18, 1926, she grew up in Northeast Minneapolis. She was preceded in death by her brothers Randall and Paul, and by her ex-husband Henry. She was a strong, resilient, and loving presence in the lives of her children – Joan Cox (and her husband Marcus) of St. Paul, and Mark (and his wife Sarah Campbell) of Minneapolis – and in the lives of her https://exchange1.popp.net/owa/grandchildren – Charlie Cox (Lorrie Herling) of Minneapolis, Peter Cox (Meg Martin) of St. Paul, Hannah Campbell Gustafson (Craig Simenson) of Darlington, WI, and Hope Campbell Gustafson of Rome, Italy. She was intensely proud of all of them. Joyce lived in New Haven and Haddam Neck, Connecticut, and in Chicago, before returning to Minnesota in 1968. She also lived for shorter periods in Panama, Indonesia, Beirut, and Rome, with much travel between all points. But her absolutely favorite place in the world was a rustic cabin (with no electricity or running water) on Leech Lake. There she retreated for more than fifty years, loving the woods, the water, the animals, and especially the birds. Her love for that place was liberally shared and has been passed down to all her descendants, in whom it abides indelibly. Joyce was particularly adept in the related generous arts of friendship and hospitality. She spent enormous energy and took great joy in entertaining guests in her home, preparing wonderful meals and fostering bountiful conviviality. There were numerous memorable Christmas parties. Many of her dear friends have passed on, and many remain. She had a love for all the arts and was an avid reader, but music was most important. She was a long-time member of the alto section in the choir at Plymouth Congregational Church. For many years she had an antique shop, Bygones, in south Minneapolis. Every aspect of the business – hunting, finding, bargaining, repairing, refinishing, and getting the piece into the right hands – was a pleasure to her. Later she worked in the bookstore of Augsburg-Fortress Press, downtown. Her daily travel on the city bus was a source of pride and the origin of some unexpected but lasting relationships. Living in Beirut in 1966 was the start of a permanent concern for finding a lasting peace in the Middle East. But she was also concerned about injustices of all kinds, and became and remained a passionate antiwar advocate. A memorial service will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet, Minneapolis, at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 29, followed by a reception. Memorial Gifts to: Global Ministries (Relief for displaced Syrians), or WAMM (Women Against Military Madness).