Joyce Fern Bates

Joyce Fern (Montgomery) Bates, 95, of Austin, Minnesota passed away August 18^th, 2023, at St. Mark’s Living Center, Austin MN.  She was born November 2^nd, 1927, the daughter of William and Merle (Smout) Montgomery in Faulkton South Dakota. In 1936, Joyce and her family moved to Minnesota and settled in the rural area of Pine River, Minnesota.  She attended country school, graduated from Pine River High School in 1945 and also attended Maple Hill Lutheran Church.

After graduation Joyce moved to Austin and worked for G. A. Hormel Co.  Joyce met her husband, Marvin Bates at Hormel’s and on August 31^st, 1946, was united in marriage. They made their home in Austin, and then later moved to a 40-acre farm near Lyle, MN. In 1964, the family moved to a farm near Blooming Prairie where they made their home for 24 years. In 1989, they retired from farming and moved back to the Austin area.

Joyce was a homemaker and good cook. She helped Marv with the farming and chores, worked at Woolworth’s and Hy-Vee in Austin. In later years, she enjoyed quilting and made several quilts for family members as well as volunteering her time quilting with the “Do Day Ladies” at Grace Lutheran Church.  She enjoyed old time music, neighborhood card parties, fishing trips to northern Minnesota with family and friends, bus trips with her niece Judy, the best one being seeing Daniel O’Donnell, and visiting family and friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In later years, Joyce enjoyed visiting on the phone with friends and relatives and some of those visits were almost two hours long. She also looked forward to Linda’s phone calls every evening for over 30 years. Joyce loved her family; she had a generous heart and deeply cared for others.

Joyce is survived by her daughters, Susan Johnson, Austin, MN., Linda (Glenn) Wiesjhan, Owatonna, MN.;  grandchildren, Gregory (Bobbi Jo) Wiesjhan, Madison Lake, MN., Kimberly (Robert) Finley, Rochester MN., Steven (Dawn) Johnson, Franklin, TN., Janel Johnson, Lebanon,  TN., Andrew (Nikki) Johnson, Lafayette, TN., Peter Garmen, Colorado Springs,  CO.;  11 great grandchildren, Nicolas, Mitchell, Riley Wiesjhan, Morghyn Finley, Madeleine, Chloe, Emily, William, Colby, Finn, Katie Johnson; four great-great grandchildren, Jackson, Addison, Callie, Ezra; brother-in-law, Wayne (Lois) Bates; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Merle (Smout) Montgomery; husband, Marvin Bates on March 8^th, 2004; sister, Inez (Montgomery) Leverington; brother-in-law, Bud Leverington; and nephew, Kenneth Kuznia.