Joyce Rosalie Natzke

Joyce Rosalie (Kruger) Natzke was called to her Savior on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Joyce was born on Easter Sunday, April 8, 1928, the daughter of Arthur and Louisa Kruger, in Westfield, Wisconsin. Due to a snowstorm, the doctor didn’t arrive by horse and sleigh in time, so Joyce was delivered in the family’s Marquette County house by her two grandmothers.
Among Joyce’s first memories is the funeral of her mother, when Joyce was just four years old. Three of Arthur’s younger sisters (Hazel, Lucille and Eloise), and her grandmother, Emma, helped raise Joyce, her older brother, Bill, and younger sister, Virginia, on the Westfield farm. It is perhaps because of this start that Joyce looked often for the positive in challenging situations.
Her entire life, Joyce balanced hard work with activities that brought her joy.  Joyce helped with farm chores, worked with the family’s milk bottling and delivery business, and learned to clean and cook at an early age. Arthur, her dad and “lifetime hero,” provided encouragement through poetry and stories throughout her childhood.
After high school in Westfield, Joyce became the first of the Kruger family to go to college, entering the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1946 as an English major. A roommate advised her to change her major to Home Economics, leading to a lifetime career as an educator. She also continued to read and write prolifically.
Upon graduation in 1950, she was hired to help design a high school home economics program at Denmark High School. The role included responsibilities outside the school, making home visits and assisting families with life skills. One social event was taking home ec girls to a square dance in De Pere, where Kenneth Natzke, who was showing cattle at the Northeast Wisconsin Livestock Show, asked her to dance.
After two years in Denmark, Wisconsin, Joyce moved to Weyauwega High School to teach for two years and then served as Portage County Extension Home Economics Agent in Stevens Point.  About this time, Ken and Joyce resumed communicating while Ken was in the Army, and they were quickly engaged.
Married on October 1, 1955, the couple began life together on a family dairy farm near Bonduel, and started filling a large farmhouse with children. Through those early years, Joyce was active in farm chores and also served as a part-time and substitute teacher at Bonduel High School.
In 1963, when their fifth child was just seven months old, the couple began building Ken’s Drive-in restaurant in Bonduel, opening in the spring of 1964. While Ken managed the farm, Joyce served as the restaurant manager, with multiple building and menu expansions over the years. The restaurant was sold after nearly two decades.
Following the sale of the restaurant, Joyce pursued other jobs, especially ones which allowed her to connect with different types of people and build community. She served as a senior service coordinator with the Shawano Civic Center, and worked with the Wisconsin Department of Education, teaching and providing GED tests to those serving time in jail and work release programs. She was active with the Bonduel Archives, helping on local historical projects and writing for the organization’s newsletter. And she co-founded Shawano Area Quilters and enjoyed nothing more than mentoring beginning quilters.
In addition to raising a family and her myriads of jobs, Joyce’s lifetime was filled with leadership and participation in a number of clubs and classes, teaching others to knit, sew and quilt, as well as joining writing and painting groups to enhance her own skills. Ken and Joyce both took active roles in 4-H, and Joyce contributed time and support to Ken’s FFA Alumni leadership roles. Joyce was also a member of the Legion Auxiliary, Homemakers and two card clubs.
Faith and religion were vital components of Joyce’s life, from early morning home devotions to lifetime fellowship in the Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran Church, splitting membership in Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bonduel and Divine Savior Lutheran Church in Shawano. Over the years she taught Sunday School, was active in Ladies’ Aide and participated in local and national mission programs.
Her final three years were spent at Meadow Wood Assisted Living in Seymour where she took advantage of every opportunity to challenge her brain, to stay active, and to make friends. She read, painted, exercised, watched the Brewers and Packers, and made many good friends. She loved living in community, and she loved the supportive staff who she called “my girls.”
Joyce is survived by seven children – Dave (Vicki) Natzke of Amherst, Ted (Lori) Natzke of Zachow, Mark (Kate Short) Natzke of Witwen, Susan (Tim) Probst of Delavan, Leslie Natzke of Chicago, Jim (Kathie) Natzke of Fitchburg, and Anne Wentzel of Litchfield, Illinois. She is further survived by 16 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. One of her greatest pleasures was seeing most of them at a family gathering in early January 2025.
She was preceded in death by her parents Arthur and Louisa Kruger, loving stepmother Malinda, brother William, sister Virginia, husband Kenneth, and grandsons, Paul Natzke and Kyle Natzke.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, May 11, 2026, at Friedens Lutheran Church in Bonduel with Rev. David Ticks officiating. Visitation will be held at the Swedberg-Wendt Funeral Home in Bonduel on Sunday, May 10, Mother’s Day from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and again at the church on Monday, May 11 from 9:30 until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made on Joyce’s behalf to Friedens Faithful Hands Service Group, the Divine Savior Food Pantry, and/or the Bonduel Community Archives. Swedberg-Wendt Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Meadow Wood Assisted Living in Seymour, and Unity Hospice staff for their kindness and dedicated work for Mom.
www.swedbergfuneralhome.com