Joyce Muriel Rosvold

Joyce Muriel (Dalbotten) Rosvold was born at home on June 25, 1926, to Simon and Betsy (Kasa) Dalbotten. Joyce passed peacefully on Oct 9th in hospice care at The Gables in Oak Park Heights, where she had been a patient for a brief time.

At a 4-H meeting she met a neighborhood boy, Harlan Rosvold, and the two became high school sweethearts. Joyce graduated from Kenyon High School in 1944, but WWII paused their courtship. She went to Chicago to work for the war effort. When Harlan returned home, they were married on December 27, 1947, and settled in Kenyon, MN where their six children were born.

The family moved to Mendota Heights in 1959 where Joyce managed a busy household – on the go camping, fishing, boating, riding horses, and making memories. The family built several lake homes in Wisconsin with Joyce overseeing the interior details. When their daughter joined Northwest Airlines, Joyce and Harlan used their family pass to travel, circling the world repeatedly. Joyce’s favorite trips were visits to Norway, where she met many cousins.

Joyce and Harlan wintered in Green Valley, AZ and created a group of close friends. She enjoyed hiking, golfing and working on ceramics at the community center. In 1988 Joyce lost vision in one eye, and in 1996 lost vision in the second. It changed her daily routine, but Joyce became an avid ‘reader’ with audio books and mastered technology to listen to radio and TV to follow Minnesota sports. In 2002 she won the battle against Stage 4 lung cancer, a true medical miracle. She and Harlan celebrated their 75th anniversary in 2022.

In her 99th year she continued to enjoy an active life. She cuddled with newborn grandkids, attended their sporting events, had a birthday bash, relaxed on a pontoon ride, enjoyed lunches with family and friends, and got frustrated listening to the Minnesota Twins games. Anyone who saw her calendar would assume she was 59, not 99. Joyce remained the best resource for family history and fond memories.

She is survived by 5 children, Dawn Rosvold, Greg (Carol Hammar) Rosvold, Vickie Hart, Todd (Sue) Rosvold, Steve (Pat) Rosvold, 12 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren, her niece Diane Bemel, and many other nieces and nephews from Harlan’s side.

She was preceded in death by her husband Harlan, daughter Bonnie Risius, son-in-law John Risius, daughter-in-law Jan Rosvold, sister Myrtle, and brothers Arnold and Joseph.

A memorial service will be held at St Stephen’s Lutheran Church in W St Paul on Oct 28, 2025, at 11am with visitation one hour before. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be given to a charity of your choice.