Rockwell City – Joyce A. Ellis 89, formerly of Rockwell City, passed away Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at Bell Tower Residence in Merrill, Wisconsin.
Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Monday, May 9, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Rockwell City, with Pastor James Hoover Mossman officiating. Visitation will be at 10:00 a.m. Monday at the Church until service time. Burial will be at Rosehill Cemetery, Rockwell City. Palmer & Swank Funeral Home, Rockwell City is serving the family.
Joyce Amy Eshbaugh Ellis was born on October 3, 1926 in Rockwell City, Iowa. After graduating from Rockwell City High School, she attended Iowa State College (Iowa State University) in Ames. While attending college, she met Lawrence M. Ellis who had returned to school after serving in the United States Army, during World War II. She lived in Des Moines for a short time where she worked at Banker's Life and made lifelong friends. Joyce and Lawrence were married on June 20, 1948 at the First Presbyterian Church in Rockwell City. They initially made their home in Winterset where Lawrence taught agriculture education to GI's returning from the service and Joyce worked at a local bank. They soon returned to Rockwell City to begin farming. During their time on the farm, they raised their three children and Joyce was active in United Presbyterian Women, the neighborhood GGG Club, and was a 4-H leader for a number of years. She was also actively involved in the farming operation. One of her prized possessions was a tractor with power steering that she received from her father-in-law when he retired from farming. Joyce and Lawrence retired from farming in 1981 and eventually moved from the farm into Rockwell City. During their retirement years they wintered in the McAllen, Texas area to escape the Iowa weather. Joyce was a loving and devoted wife, sister, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She and Lawrence were married for 55 years before his death in 2004. She moved to the Bell Tower Residence in Merrill, Wisconsin in 2011, when she was no longer able to live on her own.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Paul L. and Madge Towner Eshbaugh; step-mother Alma Youngdale Eshbaugh; her husband Lawrence M. Ellis; sister and brother–in-law, Margaret and CC Strain; sister-in-law Betty Eshbaugh; sister-in-law and brother–in-law, Mary Esther and JE Ellis; niece Alice Gregg; granddaughter-in-law Alicia Aberg Ellis; and an infant great- granddaughter. She is survived by her children, Carolyn Densmore and husband Dennis of Raleigh, NC, Robert Ellis and wife Beverli of Merrill, WI and Roger Ellis and wife Debra of New London, WI; her brother Robert A. Eshbaugh of Albany, OR; seven grandchildren, Angela Ellis, Jeffery Densmore, Brett Ellis, Andrea Densmore, Jason Ellis, Shannon Ellis, and Justin Ellis; and seven great grandchildren.
