Joyce Engan

Joyce Engan, 88, passed away peacefully on February 28, 2014 after a wonderful life filled with love and laughter.

Her life story began on the prairies of North Dakota when she was born in Burnstad to Dagny (Christensen) and Walter C. Arntz on June 23, 1925, weighing just three pounds. Burnstad was named after her cousin Chris Burnstad who immigrated from Norway. During WWI, he convinced Dagny’s parents to come to Burnstad where he felt they would be safer. The family returned after the war but Dagny stayed to marry Walter. Burnstad was one of Joyce's greatest memories and felt growing up in this little town was one of her greatest gifts.

Joyce graduated 8th grade in Burnstad in 1939, St. Mary's Catholic High School in Bismarck in 1943, and from Bismarck Junior College in 1945. She attended North Dakota Agricultural School (NDSU) where she was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority, and graduated in 1948 with a degree in teaching. She later received a degree in business education at Moorhead State. She taught five years at Mandan High School, five years at the Division of Supervised Study at NDSU and ended her service in teaching in the Business Department of Wahpeton Science School.

Joyce married John Engan in 1958 and the couple spent their entire lives in Fargo. John and Joyce had three daughters, Louise (Josh) Rownd, Boston, MA; Linda (Kris) Anderson, Bemidji, MN; Laura Engan, Verona, WI; and four grandchildren, John (Lindsey), Alison, Megan, Jillian and former son-in-law, Mark Veldey (Verona, WI). Her daughters were the love of her life and her best friends. Her next-door neighbor aptly named them her “little women”.

Joyce was a stay at home mother until 1977. During this time, she volunteered with many community organizations including Dakota Hospital Auxiliary, Campfire Girls, Bluebirds, 4-H, and the Red River Art Center. In 1977 she and a friend formed Variety Tours, Inc., a personalized guided travel agency. Joyce loved to travel and she enjoyed every minute of her career. Her favorite tour was the annual holiday tour to New York City. She loved this business and felt that every new customer became a new friend.

Joyce enjoyed painting with friends, attending the Fargo Symphony, Opera, and area theatre productions. She loved Christmas, her annual holiday coffee party, and celebrating July 4th at the Fargo Country Club. Joyce treasured her many friends, especially her little dachshunds. She was a long time enthusiastic member of the Fine Arts Club of Fargo as well as the Fargo Country Club, Plains Art Museum and Rourke Art Museum. Most importantly, Joyce was a women of God, and cherished her Catholic faith.

If you were lucky to have known Joyce, you know that she had a generous heart, a never ending spirit for fun and a love of everything pink. Joyce lived life with joy and unending positive energy and will be dearly missed by everyone.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband John, and her sister, June Helenske.

Memorials are preferred to Catholic Charities of North Dakota or Plains Art Museum.