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JOYCE E. JESSEN

Joyce E. (Ingwerson) Jessen, 88 of Sidney, NE died peacefully on May 13, 2016 surrounded by her family.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m., Thursday, May 19th in the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Sidney with Pastor Dave Hall officiating. Burial will follow in the Weyerts Cemetery north of Lodgepole. Friends may stop at the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel on Wednesday from 1 to 6 p.m. with family present from 4 to 6 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made in Joyce's name to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church or Weyerts Immanuel Lutheran Church. You may view Joyce's Book of Memories, leave condolences, photos and stories at http://www.gehrigstittchapel.com.

Joyce was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and teacher, who was dedicated to math students over many years. She cherished her historic stone house on the plains of western Nebraska built in 1901 by her grandfather.

Daughter of Paul and Hazel (Wood) Ingwerson, Joyce was born and raised on the family wheat farm 18 miles north of Lodgepole, Nebraska. She attended country school, one year at Chappell High School and graduated from Sidney High School in 1944.

Joyce taught country school in district #80 and district #68 before attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating in 1949. She also took summer courses at Chadron State Teachers College and Kearney State Teachers College. She taught Junior High Mathematics for three years in North Platte, followed by one year in Gothenburg and two years in Eddyville.

She met Henry Jessen in 1952 and they married at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Sidney on May 30th, 1953. They remained together for nearly 63 years. Joyce and Henry lived in Eddyville, Nebraska for two years before moving to Lodgepole to live on the family wheat and cattle farm. After 11 years, they moved their family to the town of Chappell to be closer to schools. Education was a high priority, and they had a goal for each child to graduate from college. All three children, Steve, Nancy and Jane, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

After Joyce taught 17 years of high school Mathematics, and all three children graduated from Chappell High School, Joyce and Hank moved back to the farm in 1984. Joyce and Henry lived on the family "Century Farm" and in the stone house for another 22 years. They then moved to Sidney where they have resided for the last 10 years.

Joyce had an adventuresome spirit and enjoyed frequent travel. Her trips included one trip to Alaska and two trips to California before meeting Henry, then many trips together to visit family across the country and three trips to Europe.

Joyce is preceded by her parents, brother Dale Ingwerson, sister Arlita Orth, son Steven Jessen, and granddaughter Stacey Rowlett.

Her surviving family includes her husband Hank Jessen of Sidney, Nebraska; daughter in-law Laurie Jessen of Denver, Colorado; daughter Nancy (Eldon) Rowlett of Lodgepole, Nebraska; daughter Jane (Mike) Mardis of Lafayette, Colorado. Grandchildren include granddaughter Leslie (Bernhard) Jessen-Zwingl of Vienna, Austria; grandson Paul Rowlett of Omaha, Nebraska; grandson Keith Rowlett of Toole, Utah; Johanne Mardis and Grant Mardis of Lafayette, Colorado; and great-granddaughter Callie Brown of Omaha, Nebraska.

 

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