Joyce "Joy" H. Peuranen

Joyce Helga (Hill) Peuranen was called home by our Lord on Monday, August 5, 2024, surrounded by her precious family.

Joyce "Joy" was born February 23, 1935 to Helen and Charles "Charlie" Hill at her parent’s home on the Pike River in Vermillion Lake Township near Tower. She was a lifelong resident of Vermillion.

Joyce attended Vermillion's School 40, graduated from Embarrass High School in 1953 and attended junior college in Virginia, MN. She met the love of her life, John Peuranen, at a wedding dance. Joyce and John were married June 1, 1957 at the Embarrass Apostolic Church and enjoyed 67 adventurous years together. They raised three children in the home she designed and John built which they filled with love, laughter, faith, and plenty of sisu.

Joyce enjoyed working at the REA (Rural Electrification Association) before starting her family. She also worked at the Embarrass Credit Union and as an election judge, before turning to nursing where she provided attentive care at Arrowhead Nursing Home for many years before retiring. She was a long time member of the Pike Apostolic Lutheran Church.

Joyce loved to travel and saw the beauty of God's creation in nature. When her children were young, summers found her paddling the BWCA, especially Lake Isabella, for family camping trips whenever sunny weather landed on John’s days off. You wouldn’t guess by looking at her but Joyce could out-paddle a man twice her size when wild ricing with John, or one third her age while white water rafting in retirement. She always navigated while John drove their family on camping road trips out west, sharing mountains, oceans and national parks with their children. Later in life, the road led them to Alaska, New England, the Wild West, Canada and for 22 years to Port Aransas, Texas where she walked the beach and watched dolphins instead of trudging through the snow drifts of Minnesota winters.

Joyce delighted in cooking. She showed her love of her family and friends through her wonderful new recipes, home-made breads, and a never empty cookie jar for her grandchildren. She shared her creativity through her original cross stitched art, hand-pieced quilts, painted ceramics, and tailored clothes. She loved to watch high school hockey, the Olympics, and keep up with politics on tv. In her spare time you could usually find her cozied up with a good book. Her intelligence, common sense, thoughtfulness and sisu will be dearly missed.

Joyce is survived by her husband, John Peuranen of Vermillion; three children: Jodene (Brad) Syrjanen of Esko, Jill Peuranen of Saint Paul, and Jay Peuranen of Vermillion; three grandchildren: Jeremy (Courtney) Syrjanen of Zimmerman, Bridger Carlson and Solei Carlson both of Saint Paul; one sweet great-grandchild, Brielle and her new sister expected to arrive in September; sister, Sharon (Bob) Beckman of Bensen, Arizona; many nieces, nephews, and cousins, as well as beloved extended family, Pike Apostolic Luthern Church family, and friends.

Joyce was reunited in heaven with her parents; her sister, Hazel (Gorden) Crayne whom she missed every day; her infant brother, Robert; and so many family and friends. Joyce shared that the hard part of reaching 89 years of age was the large number of family members and good friends that she’d had to say goodbye to.

A private family service will be held. Burial will take place at the Vermillion Lake Cemetery.