Joyce O. Bolstad

Joyce Oreanna (Almvig) Bolstad, 83, of 403 20th Place SW, passed away peacefully in the arms of her daughter, Cynthia, Monday evening at the IOOF Home in Mason City. Graveside services will be held Friday, January 15th at 12:00 pm at the Lakewood Cemetery (Chapel), 3600 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN with the Pastor Kathy Graves of Trinity Lutheran Church, Mason City officiating. There will be a gathering of family and friends a half hour prior to the service. The family asks that memorials be directed to Trinity Lutheran Church Music Fund.



Joyce Oreanna Almvig was born December 14, 1926 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the only child of Olaf A. Almvig and Anna (Larson) Almvig. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in La Crosse and kept close ties there her entire life. Joyce received her education in the La Crosse public school system graduating in January of 1945 from La Crosse Central High School. During her high school years, Joyce enjoyed and was very proud of the fellowship of her many church activities and her active membership playing bugle in The Drum and Bugle Corps. She also truly enjoyed, and often reminisced of spending summers on the farm of aunt and uncle Selma and Leonard Larson near Rushford, MN. On July 18, 1948, Joyce was married to her love Laddie Lyle Bolstad of La Crosse. They were each others support for 59 years and 10 months until May 26, 2008 when Laddie passed away before her. Both being only children, reinforced the strong love of family that they enjoyed in their lives. To their marriage they were blessed with two children, Gary David Bolstad in 1949, whom passed away in 1996 at the age of 46, and Cynthia Jane Bolstad in 1955.

Joyce and Laddie and family moved to Mason City in 1964, where Laddie was a lithographer at the Globe-Gazette for many years. While living in Mason City, Joyce enjoyed being a municipal bus driver for many years when the busses were nothing more than Volkswagen vans. Joyce valued the friendships that she established with her passengers and took pride in getting to know them by name.



In 1980, Joyce and Laddie moved to the Twin Cities and lived there until coming back to Mason City in 2006 to be near daughter Cynthia and her family.


Joyce was the old fashioned letter writer of the family and loved to keep in touch with anyone who had touched their lives. Two things that she always had first dibs was going through the mail and answering any phone calls. A testament to her love of keeping in touch showed up every, birthday, holiday and Christmas season with hundreds and hundreds of greeting cards sent and received.



Joyce also loved to travel and Laddie made sure that they got to see many beautiful places to include their ancestors homeland of Norway. In later years, many bus tours were taken and deeply enjoyed with new friends being made at every stop.



Joyce was a deeply spiritual, devoted wife and mother who showed us all how to care for and value other people. Left to cherish her memory are her daughter Cynthia Sayles (James) of Mason City, and her grandsons Jeff Bolstad of Clear Lake, and William Sayles and Benjamin Sayles both of Mason City.



Joyce is preceded in death by her husband Laddie Lyle Bolstad, her son Gary David Bolstad, her parents Olaf and Anna Almvig, her special aunt and uncle Selma and Leonard Larson and many other relatives and friends along the way.



Above all, Joyce cherished and loved her family. She was a deeply devoted wife, mother, grandmother and Child of God. Blessed be her memory.



Joyces family would like to thank the IOOF Home family for their care of all of us over the past two years and to Hospice of North Iowa for their care and support during the most difficult of times this past week.