Joyce Scheetz

Joyce Carothers Scheetz passed away at the Good Shepherd Health Center on Thursday, December 8, 2011, at the age of 92. A memorial mass will be at 10:30 AM, Monday, December 12, 2011, at Holy Family Catholic Church, 714 North Adams, with Rev. Kenneth Gehling officiating. There will be a gathering of family and friends one hour prior to the church service. Inurnment will be at a later date in the Concord Cemetery - Garner, IA. Memorials may be directed to the Mason City Public Library, 225 2nd Street S.E., Mason City, Iowa 50401. She was born in Garner in 1919, one of the 5 children of John Hamilton Carothers and Bertha Schleusner. Joyce married Ernie Scheetz from Sioux Falls and was the mother of 4 children herself. Early in their marriage, Ernie was sent to Europe as part of the Allied Forces. When he returned, it was to work on the Milwaukee Railroad for several years. So, they lived “up and down the line” as Ernie served as depot agent. After a number of years in Ventura, the family moved to Mason City in 1960. Joyce worked at several different jobs, ranging from domestic service to factory worker to restaurant employee. She loved to travel and eventually visited over 30 foreign countries. This left her with many stories and a lot of memorabilia. She lived at the Manor for many years, and later moved to Kentucky Ridge. She loved playing cards while at the Manor, and was very appreciative of the staff at the Manor and Kentucky Ridge. Of all her diverse interests, one she passed on to her children was the love of reading. She was an ardent fan of the Mason City Public Library and the people who work there. Joyce was a student of history, genealogy, US Presidents, and the Civil War. She actually became a student at NIAAC later in life and received her degree. Over the years, Joyce belonged to the Hawkeye Camera Club, North Iowa Writer's Club and the North Iowa Genealogy Club. Joyce was a member of Holy Family church and had enjoyed teaching religion classes for many years. She also participated in the St. Madonna Circle. All in all, Joyce lived a pretty good life. From a child in the Depression to marriage and family and work, she met a lot of very nice people, had a wealth of experiences and opportunities, and passed away peacefully. Joyce is survived by 4 children: Mary (Robert) Stevens of Mason City, Nancy (Jack) Bloomingdale of Springfield, OH, Mark ( Debbie) Scheetz of Mason City, and Jennifer (Max) Petersen of Savage, MN; 10 grandchildren: Todd Stevens of Grimes, IA, Aaron Stevens of Norwalk, IA, Heather (Dave) Young of Algona, IA, Kate (Darin) Bills of Waukee, IA, Chris Withers (Hitomi) of Sierra Vista, AZ, Scott Withers (Lynn) of Springfield, OH, Jeremy (Katie) Scheetz of Victoria, MN, Ethan Scheetz of Golden Valley, MN, Nick Petersen of Robbinsdale, MN, and Emily Petersen of Sioux Falls, SD; and 13 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband in 1977, two brothers: Maurice and Wayne Carothers; three sisters: Evalyne Stille, Blanche Tyler, and Golda Jones; 1 great granddaughter; and many close friends. Rest in Peace.

Cemetery:
Inurnment will be at a later date in the Concord Cemetery - Garner, IA.

Memorials may be directed to the Mason City Public Library, 225 2nd Street S.E., Mason City, Iowa 50401.

Visitation:
There will be a gathering of family and friends one hour prior to the church service.