Joyce Lorraine Hanson

Heaven opened its doors for Joyce Hanson on November 30th, 2022. She was cherished by all who knew her, and her varied interests enabled her to touch many lives. Visitation will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, December 8, 2022 at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines. Funeral services will follow at 11:00 a.m. Friday, December 9 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 600 6th Avenue in Des Moines.

Joyce was born April 8, 1944, in Estherville, IA to Merlyn and Orva Clark, the second of four daughters, and graduated from Estherville High School in 1962. She furthered her education at Miller Hospital of Nursing in St. Paul, MN and the Lutheran Bible Institute in Golden Valley, MN.

Larry and Joyce met while both were working at Glenwood Hills Hospital in Golden Valley, and were married a year later, May 21, 1967. They shared fifty-five years of marriage, living in such diverse places as San Diego and Alameda, CA, Wayzata and Mankato, MN, and ultimately in Des Moines for the past 47 years. To this union, two daughters were born, Laura in 1970 and Leslie in 1974. In addition to being a wonderful mother and homemaker, she also worked at various times as a nurse, piano and yoga instructor, and as Administrative Assistant to the Director of Chaplaincy at Unity Point Hospital.

Joyce lived a life grounded in the belief that Jesus Christ was her personal Savior, and living out that faith on a daily basis was her way of serving Him. Her goal at all times was to find ways to love and encourage others. Her family was her passion, and she loved being a wife, a mother, and a grandmother.

She is survived by her husband, Larry; daughters, Laura (Warren) Erickson and Leslie (William) Bake; sisters, Maureen Clark and Sheri (Gerald) Behrends; grandchildren, Joseph and Peter Erickson, Ellen (Dominic) Cravero, and Liam and Lucy Bake; as well as a number of beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her mother and father, and her older sister, Karen Mammen.

The family would also like to recognize Dr. Heddinger and his team at Mission Oncology, as well as the Unity Point Hospice Team, for the wonderful treatment and support they provided Joyce over the past 5 years.

Memorials may be directed to St.John's Lutheran Church and online condolences expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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