Joyce E. Goodsell

Joyce E. Goodsell, 80, passed away March 1, 2026 at Ascension Living St. Anne’s Place, Rockford, IL.

Born on March 26, 1945 in Freeport, Illinois, Joyce Elaine was the daughter of Kenneth and Vernena (Puls) Kuhlmeyer.

Joyce attended Pearl City Schools, graduating as part of the Pearl City High School Class of 1963.

Moving to Rockford soon after graduation, Joyce married her high school sweetheart Marvin W. Goodsell on February 16, 1964 at Zion Evangelical United Brethren Church in Pearl City, IL.

Joyce worked as an order processor at Weiman Furniture and as a Title I parent liaison for Rockford Public Schools. However, Joyce considered her most important work was as a wife, homemaker, and mother.

Joyce loved being around water, filling her summer days swimming in the family pond on the farm, water skiing at Lake Ripley, enjoying the swimming pool at home, and walking the beaches at South Padre Island.

Joyce also loved to travel. While her favorite destination was the family cottage at Lake Ripley in Wisconsin, she also enjoyed vacations in Hawaii and Taiwan, exploring National Parks out west and wintering on South Padre Island in Texas. Not content to be a mere tourist, she loved to go off the beaten path, navigating the family to unexpected journeys including Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, Niagara Falls, and Old Spanish Fort near Mobile, Alabama. Other times, Joyce meticulously planned adventures for her family around Washington DC, New Orleans, Myrtle Beach, and Florida.

A longtime member of Broadway Covenant Church, Joyce was involved in many church related-activities, including pre-school ministry and leading women’s Bible studies. Joyce’s Christian faith sustained her to the end, knowing that she would wake up in the presence of Jesus her Savior.

Joyce is survived by her husband of 62 years, Marvin Goodsell; their son Kevin Goodsell of Rockford, their daughter Marcia Shields (Karl) of Rockford; and four grandchildren: John Shields of Milwaukee, WI, James Shields of Jackson, TN, Elizabeth Shields and Sarah Shields of Rockford.

She was preceded by death by her parents and her sister, Wilma Kuhlmeyer.

A Memorial Service will be at 3:00 pm on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, Mulford Chapel, 1860 S. Mulford Road, Rockford, IL 61108, with Pastor Mike Mirakian of Broadway Evangelical Covenant Church officiating.

Friends may call at the Visitation, held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on March 21, prior to the Memorial Service.

Memorial funds have been established for Broadway Covenant Church and for Northern Illinois Hospice.