Joyce E Gardner

Joyce's Funeral Service may be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/746980811

Joyce E. Gardner was born in Valley City, ND to Albert and Josephine (Stromme) Sad on January 3, 1932. She attended elementary and high school in Valley City. She received her diploma in Nursing from Mercy School of Nursing. She later completed her Bachelor's in nursing at Valley City State College and her Master's degree in Education and Counseling from North Dakota State University.

Joyce's family started in Valley City with her parents, 3 brothers and a sister. Although the family worked hard together, Joyce always could find a little play time. After nursing school, Joyce married Donald Nohrenberg in October 1954. Together, they had 4 sons (Jeffrey, Randall, Robert and Scott). Joyce and Donny farmed near Pingree and later moved to Jamestown. While the boys were growing up, Joyce kept busy with school and church activities (at Trinity Lutheran Church in Jamestown) and was a Cub Scout leader for 6 years. Donny died in 1966 after an extended illness.

Joyce remarried in 1971 to Charles Gardner and they moved to Moorhead, Minnesota. She joined Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead and remained a member until her death. Chuck and Joyce spent their best days at the lake cabin enjoying time with their hectic professional lives. During this time, Joyce was blessed with her only grandchild, Neceda. After a long illness, Chuck died in 1987.

Professionally, Joyce started her career at Mercy Hospital in Valley City as a charge nurse on a maternity ward. She later worked in the obstetric unit at the Trinity Hospital in Jamestown. However, when Joyce started working with the mentally ill at the North Dakota State Hospital, she did some of her best work. Joyce's gifts of compassion, intuition and quick thinking helped patients heal and return to their lives outside the State Hospital and helped train nurses from all over the state of North Dakota in the skills needed to work with the seriously mentally ill. After Joyce and Chuck moved to Moorhead, MN, she joined the nursing faculty at NDSU. She retired after working years at River's Edge (residential treatment center for adolescents). During her career, Joyce was active in the ND Nursing Association.

After her retirement, Joyce had time to embrace her Norwegian heritage. She joined the Sons of Norway and could be found out dancing or dining several times a week with her special friend, Frank Gummeringer. Joyce traveled to Norway and enjoyed all the sights and sounds of her ancestors. She could often be found in her bunad during Norwegian Days at the Hjemkost Center and she got a taste of heaven any time she could eat a good piece of lefse. Joyce always made time for her friends and remained close to her nursing school buddies and many colleagues and neighbors over the years.

Joyce is survived by her two sons: Robert (Twila) Nohrenberg and Scott (Nancy) Nohrenberg; one grandchild, Neceda. She was preceded in death by her husbands, two sons (Randy and Jeffrey), her parents; brothers (Allen, Halsey, Lawrence and Grant) and her sister, Mildred.

Visitation will be from 12-1PM followed by the funeral service at 1PM Tuesday, September 6, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead, MN.