Obituary: Camp, Joyce J.
Age 88
(Age 88) A longtime area LaCrosse resident passed away on January 21, 2015 at the Whitman Health & Rehabilitation Center in Colfax.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, January 30 at the LaCrosse United Methodist Church.
Vault interment will follow at the LaCrosse Cemetery.
Viewing will be at Bruning Funeral Home on Thursday, January 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. as well as at the church on the day of the service.
Joyce was born on August 22, 1926 in Endicott, Washington to Conrad and Matilda (Scheuerman) Wilhelm, German-Russian immigrants who came to the U.S. in 1907.
They moved to Endicott in 1911.
Joyce grew up in St. John and attended the local schools, graduating from St. John High School in 1944.
She met Lester Camp in St. John and the couple married on February 24, 1946 in Walla Walla, Washington.
They moved back to LaCrosse and established the family farm on Lester Camp Road.
She worked with Lester on the farm while raising their two sons, Robert who was born in 1947 and Randy who was born in 1951.
After she and Lester “retired”, they became snowbirds, traveling to California for the winter where they enjoyed golfing and square dancing.
Joyce was a homemaker and a farm wife.
During harvest she would prepare three meals a day for the work crew, getting up at 4:00 a.m. to start with breakfast and continuing to cook all day, preparing lunch and then dinner, which was usually a full scale meal complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, bread and homemade pies.
She’ll be remembered for her talents in the kitchen including her pot roast, sweet potatoes and an amazing pineapple upside down cake.
She enjoyed sewing and gardening as well as playing bridge with friends and at tournaments.
She was a member of the Colfax Bowling Association, the St. John Golf League and the LaCrosse Farm Women’s Club and Eastern Star.
She was also a longtime member of the LaCrosse United Methodist Church.
She loved to spend time at the lake as well.
In later years, Joyce cared for Lester in failing health until his death in 2005 and then even as her own health declined she “longed to go back to the farm” always wanting to help “take care of things”.
Always more concerned about others than herself.
Joyce often wanted to help the nurses in the hospital even as they were helping her.
She is now in the care of the Lord and probably trying to help him any way she can.
Joyce is survived by her son Randy (Brenda) Camp of LaCrosse; granddaughters Tricia (38) (John) Barry, April (35) (Bryan) Mackleit and Brianna (5) Camp and great grandchildren Brady Barry; Zachary Cooper and Abigail Mackleit.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her son Robert in 1969 and by her sisters; Marie Lust, Alma Weitz, Esther Schmick, Alice Spanish and her brother Herman Wilhelm.
Memorial contributions in Joyce’s honor are suggested to the Memorial Fund at the LaCrosse United Methodist Church.
BRUNING FUNERAL HOME of COLFAX has been entrusted with funeral arrangements.
Online condolences may be left at www.bruningfuneralhome.com.