Joyce Sturm Crouse

1933 - 2025

Joyce Sturm Crouse

January 23, 1933 - July 21, 2025

When it comes to how to live your life, Joyce Crouse had a lot to show us.

From her humble beginnings--born in a log cabin near Crossville, IL--to her transition during her final hours surrounded by a musical background of Perry Como and Dean Martin, Joyce did it well.

Born Marilyn Joyce Sturm on January 23, 1933, she was the oldest of five children born to Maurice and Mary Crowder Sturm. She was raised on a farm in southern Illinois, eventually attending Southern Illinois University (Carbondale), where she met George Crouse. They married on June 6, 1953, at Carmi, IL.

She earned her bachelor's, master's, and Ph. D. degrees in Home Economics from Southern Illinois University, furthering her education at Washington University at St. Louis, and eventually moving to Charleston to join the faculty at Eastern Illinois University (Charleston) in1968. While on the faculty at EIU, she served as chair of the School of Home Economics and assistant dean of the College of Applied Sciences.

It was during her faculty service at Eastern that she took a sabbatical and served with the Illinois Office on Aging of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in Chicago and Washington, D.C. She called it a "wonderful experience" and it led to many more opportunities within the study of gerontology and national contributions regarding issues of the elderly. One local result was the creation of the Senior Center in the basement of the Elks Club in Charleston.

She did all this while raising five children with George.

She retired from EIU but didn't stop there. Memaw, as she was lovingly called by her family, became the Director of Accreditation for the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, retiring in 2003. She became the Director of Family Choices adoption agency in 2003 and finally retired for good in 2015 at the age of 82.

It is said Memaw did not have an ounce of whimsey about her. However, she was a baby burper extraordinaire and could make meals materialize to feed large groups of people; chicken and dumplings being her specialty. She could be strong-willed, undoubtedly a requirement for a progressive woman who was years ahead of her time professionally.

She played the trombone in high school, lugging it while walking 1.25 miles each way to and from school. Playing the trombone turned into a love for the Big Band sound, mid-20th century musicals, and the crooners of the 40s, 50s, and 60s.

She was a good friend and emotional support to countless people. It was not unusual to have a single mother, one of the children's friends or a relative living with the family. Her strong moral compass and compassion guided not only her children, but countless friends, students and neighbors. She was a strong believer in education and pushed everyone to reach their highest potential. She was known to often say "Don't encourage your daughters to grow up and marry doctors and lawyers, encourage them to grow up and be doctors and lawyers."

Joyce is survived by her five children: Deborah Cobb (Phil), Collinsville, IL; Lisa Crouse (Dave Saxton), Oklahoma City, OK; Susan Wolk (Mike), Collinsville, IL; Kirsten Bays (Clint), Charleston, IL; and Kevin Crouse (Ginger), McAllen, TX.

Her grandchildren are Geoffrey Amos of Portland, OR; Garath Cobb, Lyssa Cobb, Rebekah Wolk (Nick), and Lucy Wolk, all of Collinsville, IL; Katherine Adler (Chaim), St. Louis, MO; Andy Bays (Maddie), John Bays (Kendel) and Nick Bays, Caleb Weber (Payton) all of Charleston, IL; and Jake Bays (Kaylee), Rapid City, SD; Kira Crouse, McAllen, TX: Katie O'Neal (Finn) of Coos Bay, OR, and eight great grandchildren.

Her surviving siblings include Gerald Sturm, Birmingham, AL; Doris Hayhurst of Evansville, IN; and Bonnie Hess of Carmel, IN. In addition to her parents and husband preceding her in death, is her sister, Sharon Frazier.

A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, August 15, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Life Span Center, 11021 East County Road 800N, Charleston, Il. This event will be an open house and informal attire is encouraged. A remembrance ceremony will be held close to, but not specifically at, 4:30 p.m. Guests are asked to bring their appetites as well as memories of Joyce.

Memorials may be made to Transitions Hospice, 1318 North Michigan Ave, Marshall, IL 62441; Peace Meals, 694 Castle Drive, Charleston, IL 61920, or Eastern Illinois University Foundation In Memory of Joyce Crouse (Human Services Simulation Program), Office of Neal Welcome Center, 860 West Lincoln Avenue, Charleston, IL 61920. Online messages of sympathy may be left at www.krabelfuneralhome.com.