Joyce Carlson

Picha Funeral Home, Locally Owned and Operated

Providing Friendly, Courteous and Dignified Funeral Service

Joyce Darlene Carlson (Barko), age 72 of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at Maplewood Skilled Nursing Center of Sauk City, Wisconsin.

Memorial funeral services will be held Monday, May 5, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. at Bethany Lutheran Church in Wisconsin Dells with Reverend Craig Wolfgram officiating. Visitation will be held at Bethany Lutheran Church on Monday from 9 a.m. until the time of service at 11 A.M.

Joyce was born July 6, 1935 in Muscatine, Iowa the daughter of Edward and Ruth (Curry) Barko. Her parents had a large strawberry and vegetable farm on the outskirts of Muscatine and she spent many summers of her youth picking strawberries on their suburban farm. Joyce attended grade school and high school in Muscatine, transferring to a Seventh Day Adventist academy near Chicago for her senior year and graduated in 1953. Later she worked for Corn Products in the quality control division of their alcohol production in Muscatine.

She met her future husband, Dr. Robert L. Carlson, at his brother’s wedding in Chicago in 1958 and were married in Muscatine on October 29, 1960 eventually making their home in Wisconsin Dells.

They were blessed with two sons, Robert “Rob” James, an attorney in Minneapolis and Jon Edward, a copywriter in Milwaukee. Jon and Jennifer (Slater) married in Wausau, Wisconsin in 1997 and have two children, Samantha Anne, 7, and Aaron Jon, 5. Liv Lyngstad, an AFS student from Norway, stayed with the family in 1969-70 and is a “daughter by mutual consent”. She is vice principal of an elementary school in Oslo, Norway. Joyce is further survived by two brothers, Don (Janet) Barko of Muscatine and James (Gail) Barko of Grand Rapids, Michigan and a sister, Janet (Stan) Westberg of Prentice, Wisconsin. She was preceded in death by her parents.

Joyce was a wonderful wife and mother, a good cook and homemaker, an avid bridge player and she had a wonderful sense of humor. For 22 years she worked for and managed Swiss Maid Fudge in Wisconsin Dells, specializing in making turtles. She also served as secretary of the Wisconsin Dells Art Association for many years and was a volunteer office worker at Bethany Lutheran Church.

Joyce will be greatly missed by her husband of 48 years, her two sons, family and many friends.