Joyce Halfmann

For some people, joy is found in the little things like caring for others and showing love. For Joyce Halfmann, joy came in caring for her family. She was a woman rooted in great faith that brought such peace to her soul. A devoted mother, Joyce considered it to be not only her highest calling, but also her greatest blessing to raise children who would one day be her greatest legacy.

Joyce Halfmann’s story began in the year 1935, right in the middle of the Great Depression. In America, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was helping his country through the hard times by enacting the Second New Deal. Overseas, trouble was brewing in Germany, hinting that future troubles would surely come. But in Bengal Township, Michigan, John and Theresa (Goerge) Thelen were keeping quite busy. With a farm to tend to and five children to care for, John and Theresa were still eager to welcome their sixth child into the family. One cold, Michigan winter day on January 19, 1935, the family’s two sons and three daughters were dressed up and sent to a relative’s house. When they returned home a short time later, they were greeted by a new baby girl, Joyce.

During the Great Depression, any life was difficult. However, the life of a farmer was especially difficult as the agricultural industry was hit hard. With a larger family, the Thelens had many mouths to feed as well. Along with her brothers and sisters, Joyce helped her family on the farm, performing many chores and lending a hand around the house where needed.

As a teenager, Joyce attended Fowler High School. While there, she enjoyed participating in athletics. She also had fun playing basketball for the school. However, for Joyce, the best thing to come out of her high school experience wasn’t her athletic skills, it was a man who would change her life.

While Joyce was still in high school, she met a young man named Al Halfmann. The two met at a school dance and needless to say, it was love at first sight. They were engaged before graduating, and Joyce married her high school sweetheart on April 7, 1956, in Fowler, Michigan. During this time Al was serving his country in the Army so the newlyweds moved to Alabama where he was stationed. Once Al’s time in the military was fulfilled, the couple moved back into her mother’s house in Fowler where they were eager to build their lives together.

Joyce soon became one busy lady who gave birth to four children in just six years. Her family was her top priority in life, and she showed great devotion to raising her children. The Halfmann family enjoyed doing things together as often as time allowed. Some of their most treasured moments were spent camping. They spent several summers doing just that at Sandy Pines, located south of Grand Rapids. Joyce also found such joy in preparing mouth-watering meals for her family as an outpouring of her unlimited love for those she was blessed to care for. Each meal was laced not only with her own love, but also with love from her own mother as Joyce regularly used recipes that were handed down. After her kids all started school, Joyce began driving a school bus for Fowler Public Schools, which allowed her to keep similar hours to those of her children. Joyce was very particular, and it was said that her school bus was very well-disciplined.

There were a variety of additional interests that Joyce pursued through the years. Her faith was of the utmost importance to her, and she was a member of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Fowler. During their retirement years, Joyce and Al purchased a motor home and headed out on the open road with plans to travel all over the contiguous United States. She loved to golf, fish, and go on bike rides with Al. When she was blessed with grandchildren, nothing could have thrilled Joyce more as spending time with them was always high on her list of things to do. Laughter was always plentiful when Joyce drove her grandchildren around in her golf cart.

In so many ways, Joyce was a delight in the lives of others. With her warm and thoughtful demeanor, she was able to make friends easily and had good friends throughout not only the United States, but throughout Canada as well. She was accepting and forgiving of others, and she always got along with everyone. Who could forget that she always laughed at Al’s quirky jokes too.

Some will remember Joyce for her abiding faith, her adventurous spirit, or her home-cooked meals, but all will remember Joyce for her constant smile that could light up a room. She was always available to offer a listening ear or words of wisdom only gained through a life well-lived. Joyce was a woman of strength coupled with an elegant grace that together with her unwavering faith, sustained her along her life’s journey. Although her family and friends now say goodbye, they will be forever grateful for the moments they were given to share with such an exceptional woman. Joyce will be dearly missed.

Joyce B. Halfmann of Fowler died on January 6, 2010. Joyce’s family includes her husband Al, their children, Kathy (Jerome) Weber, Linda (David) Halfmann, Brian Halfmann, and Mark (Melinda) Halfmann; 7 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; sister in law, Rosemary Thelen; and many nieces and nephews. Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, sisters, Rosaline Luttig, Rita Thelen, Viola Thelen and brothers, Urban and Alex Thelen. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, January 9, 2010, at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Fowler with Fr. Dennis Howard presiding. Burial to follow at Most Holy Trinity Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Friday, 2-4 and 7-9, with rosaries prayed at 3 and 8 p.m., at the Goerge Chapel of Osgood Funeral Home of Fowler. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you can leave a favorite memory, sign the online guestbook, or make a memorial contribution to Clinton Memorial Hospital-Cancer Unit, 805 S. Oakland St., St. Johns, MI, 48879.