Joyce Evonne Auld

Joyce Evonne Auld was born September 18, 1931, in "Nelson Holler", Boyer Twp., Crawford County, Iowa, to Laurence "Eldon" Clement (1908-1981) and Wilma Irene Nelson (1914-2017). Joyce grew up in Dunlap and spent a lot of time with her maternal grandparents on their farm. Joyce had "a bit of a temper", and her nick name in school was "Stormy". She and her friends hung out at The Hollywood and Frazier’s' Cafe in Dunlap, and she was a baton twirler in the Dunlap Marching Band. Joyce carried special delivery letters during WWII for 10 cents per letter and worked at an apparel shop in high school (where she spent much of her salary). She graduated Salutatorian from Dunlap High in 1949 and later from Commercial Extension School of Business in Omaha where she earned her Executive Secretarial degree. Joyce worked for "Doc" Burns in Dunlap for some years. She worked for a farm implement company and was sent to other towns for parts. She said her Grandma Nelson would "put on a clean dress, shake off her carpet slippers, and jump in the car to go along for the ride".

In 1953, Les Willey pulled Joyce over and introduced her to Harold "Smiley" Auld, telling her that he was a nice guy who wanted to dance, and the rest is history. She was helping her father shingle the roof when Smiley called to ask her for a date, and on July 11, 1954, over three hundred friends and family members suffered through the 110 degree heat to witness their vows. Following the wedding, they moved in with Smiley's mother “for a few weeks while they looked for an apartment”, remaining in the house to this day. They spent their honeymoon fishing, and Joyce went with Smiley on his hunting and fishing trips for years. The Auld family spent weeks during the summers camping and fishing in the northern U.S. and Canada.

In 1960, Smiley and Joyce added a flower shop to his parents' greenhouses, expanding the business into Ye Auld Flower Shoppe and Greenhouse. Joyce was very creative. She took classes in design and made beautiful flower bouquets, corsages, and arrangements. She had learned to sew doll clothes as a child, and made much of her own clothing. Later she sewed clothing for her children, specializing in making matching dresses for her daughter and herself and once with the same fabric as the dresses, matching shirts for her husband and son. She made sport coats for her husband, matching t-shirts for her parents, and beautifully tailored suits for her daughter to wear to the office.

Joyce and Smiley sold the flower shop in 1982 and retired, closing the greenhouse in 1984. For the next twenty-two years, they spent winters in Texas, enjoying the warmer weather with the other northern ‘snow birds’. They also travelled a lot in their motorhome, and Joyce took many crafts courses. Family and friends all have embroidered scissor cases; sand dollar ornaments; painted bricks; Santa heads painted on wine corks, clam shells, and paint brushes; and macram ornaments. She will be long remembered for sending the most beautiful handmade cards for all occasions, made from embroidery, feathers, and dried flowers. There wasn't anything she couldn't do with a paint brush, glue gun, or needle. Joyce took painting lessons and became pretty proficient at it. She was an avid gardener with flowers and herbs filling her back yard. Friends called to say they drove through the alley to view the back yard garden and to tell her how beautiful it was.

Joyce was a life-time member of the St. John's Lutheran Church in Dunlap. She was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and received her 65 year certificate of membership in March 2020. Joyce was a charter member of the L M Shaw Chapter of Questers, organized in 1968.

In 2006, Smiley began dialysis, curtailing their travel. After Smiley passed away in 2011, Joyce took short trips with relatives. A neighbor taught her to weave rugs, and she made many of them for herself and others. She put together a group of widowed ladies to meet for lunch every Tuesday and an early supper on Thursdays. Her joyous life force pulled people into her orbit. Joyce was gregarious and caring and never met a stranger. She was highly thought of by many.

After a long fight against cancer and the after effects of a stroke, Joyce passed away at 6:20 pm on Thursday, January 7, 2021, at her home in Denison at the age of 89. She was preceded in death by her parents, Eldon and Wilma (Nelson) Clement; her husband, Harold "Smiley" Auld; her brother, Rex Clement; and her niece, Jodi (Clement) Grobe. She is survived by her two children, Lesa Auld and Scott (Thabisile) Auld of Kansas City; her niece, Kim Clement of Dunlap; her nephews, Clay (Laura) Clement of Hancock, Iowa, and Cole Clement of Oakland, Iowa; her aunt, Shirley Nelson, of Woodbine; and many cousins and grand- nieces and nephews and other relatives.

At her behest, Joyce was cremated.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Yellow Smoke Park at the Woodland Shelter house, off Highway 30 East of Denison. The service will be at 10:00 am followed by brunch catered by HyVee at 11:00 am.

Joyce was a great lover of flowers. Since flowers aren't feasible at the shelter house the family suggests that you send flowers to a loved one or buy them for yourself - cut flowers, a plant, or something to plant in your garden in memory of Joyce.

Interment will be a private family ceremony at the cemetery in Deloit, Iowa.