Joyce C. Lyng

Joyce Claire Lyng (Besser), age 85 of Sauk Centre, died peacefully on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018 at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 8 at First Lutheran Church in Sauk Centre with Pastor Becky Thomas officiating. Interment will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Sauk Centre. Visitation will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre and one hour prior to the service on Sunday at church. A longtime resident of the Sauk Centre community, Joyce grew up on a now, century farm, south of town. She was the daughter of Ed and Faye Besser, and a sister to Muriel. While growing up, her interest and talents included singing. At age 18, she married Herman Ole Lyng and spent years working on the farm north of Sauk Centre, gardening both flowers and vegetables, while raising two girls and two boys and helping with a variety of farm work and chores. Her love was singing, and she used First Lutheran Church as her venue, singing in the church choir as well as for many weddings and funerals. Joyce also participated in the Festival of Lessons and Carols at the Church of the Good Samaritan for many years. At her young age, it was discovered that she was battling rheumatoid arthritis. She endured many surgeries to enable her to lead a normal life. Following the death of her husband, Herman in 1981, Joyce was very active in her community. She had several jobs through Green Thumb and volunteered for the Sinclair Lewis Foundation. She worked at the boyhood home and at the Interpretive Center as a guide, as well as serving on the Sinclair Lewis Foundation board where she served as president for one year. She also volunteered and held offices at the Sauk Centre Historical Society and the Annual Writers Conference. Persevering a stroke in 2012, Joyce continued to serve the community as board member of the Sinclair Lewis Foundation, caller for the blood drive, and secretary for the Centre Area Concert Association. Joyce was passionate about her knowledge of Sinclair Lewis and promoting Sauk Centre through the sharing about Sinclair Lewis, his books and his life with others. In 2013, Joyce was named Sauk Centre's Volunteer of the Year. She was also passionate about her love of flowers and though confined to a wheelchair, Joyce managed to maintain a patio of beautiful flowers for many summers. Joyce's battle with rheumatoid arthritis loomed long and hard with many surgeries throughout her life but it never dampened her spirit to pursue her passions and to help others. She will be deeply missed by her children, Darla (Charles) Krause of Wadena, Debra Thompson of Bemidji, Jerald (Lori) Lyng of Eden Prairie, and Ronald (Melinda) Lyng of Placerville, CA; nine grandchildren, Brian Lueck, Bradley Lueck, Emily Phipps, Kasey Lyng Johnson, Alexander Lueck, Chance Lyng, Eric Krause, Jenna Lyng Adams and Breanna Fears; nine great grandchildren; and sister, Muriel Besser of Sauk Centre. Joyce was preceded in death by her husband, Herman Lyng on February 8, 1981; grandson, Benjamin Lueck on September 17, 1984 and her parents. Arrangements were made with Patton-Schad Funeral & Cremation Services of Sauk Centre.