Joyce Westerdahl Thode
A Celebration of Life Service for Joyce Westerdahl Thode, age 94, of Blanchard, LA was held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday January 18, 2018 at Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Haughton, LA with Pastor Mark Koch of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bossier City officiating. Interment followed in Hill Crest Memorial Park. A time of visitation was held prior to the service from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Joyce was born October 21, 1923 in Waterford, Wisconsin to Edwin Westerdahl and Nettie Thornson Westerdahl. She went home to be with her Lord on Saturday January 13, 2018 in Shreveport, LA.
She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Kenneth M. Thode; and son, Kenneth S. Thode.
Left to cherish her memory are daughter Diane Lafitte and her fiancé John Stuckey; granddaughters, Melissa (Tommy) Waters and Dixie (Randy) Deaver; great-grandchildren, Lindsey Deaver, Mitchell Waters and Matthew Waters.
Joyce and her husband moved from Muskego, Wisconsin to Shreveport in 1978 to be close to her daughter and granddaughters. She worked for the J.C Penny Company in Milwaukee and Shreveport, then for Tommy’s Novelty Gaming as a bookkeeper until her retirement.
She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bossier City. Joyce’s love of knitting and crocheting led her to create blankets for babies to be given at their christening. Some of her favorite pastimes were painting, making crafts and cheering for the Green Bay Packers. She also loved to play dominos and cards with friends from the Blanchard Senior Apartments where she lived. She was a member of Eastern Star and El Karubah Ladies when her husband was an active member of the Alibaba car unit riding in parades. She loved going places with her daughter, grands and great grands. Joyce’s favorite was going to Gulf Shores and seeing the ocean for the very first time at age 90. Spending many spring breaks at a cabin in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, was precious quality time with family.
Joyce was very spunky and quite independent; a stubborn Norwegian, as she would say! She led an active life and was always on the go. She lived life to the fullest with a smile. She will be dearly missed by her family and friends.
