Joyce Emma Priebe Olson

Joyce Emma Priebe Olson was born on January 14, 1926, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to Matilda Agnes Gust and William Frank Priebe. Died on October 24, 2022, in West Valley City, Utah, at her home in her bed. She died from a stroke she had on October 21. Up to that date she lived independently in her apartment.

She lived in La Crosse with her parents and later moved to a farm in Hixton, Wisconsin, when she was in high school. She witnessed her seven year old brother’s (William Jr. known as Sonny) accidental death when she was nine years old. This was an event she never got over.

She also had a sibling Rodney Priebe (Prieby in some records) born May 4, 1929, in Phoenix to her parents. He was placed for adoption and no one in the family knew of him until 2019. Her younger siblings Judy and Victor were born when she was in high school and beyond.

Joyce graduated Valedictorian from Hixton High school in Wisconsin. She gave her college scholarship to the Salutatorian and went to work in La Crosse. She married Chester Laverne Olson on February 12, 1947 in Palmyra, Illinois. Their only child, Cheryl Rae Olson, was born on November 25, 1947, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Joyce and family lived in Racine, Wisconsin, until summer 1956 when the extended family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. She was a homemaker, bookkeeper for the family landscaping business and dance school transport driver. She and Chet divorced in 1965 and she went to school for bookkeeping, working for a hospital and hotel night auditor. She and her friend Helen Clarke traveled to Europe and Africa and moved to Ingram, Texas, where they lived for 20 years. From about 1968 to 1988 she worked every summer in Yellowstone National Park as a traveling night auditor. She loved fishing there and still had friends from those years that she kept in touch with on Facebook or at Christmas time.

Joyce moved to Salt Lake City in 1994. From 1995 until her death she lived in a senior apartment complex, Valley Fair Village in West Valley City, Utah. She loved gardening and took pride in her tomatoes, flowers and keeping her area courtyard looking good. She appeared in the newspaper with a picture of her 13 foot sunflowers. She loved spending time in Grover at our trailer in southern Utah. This is how she got the handle “Grover Queen” for her email address.

Since her first visit in 1969 until her last in 2020, she fell in love with Rincon de Guayabitos, Nayarit, Mexico, spending months there every winter. Her sister Judi was a wonderful companion and helper for her there for many years. The whole family came to love this lovely beach town.

Joyce is survived by her daughter Cheryl Olson, son-in-law David Hardy , siblings Victor William Priebe of Mesquite, Nevada and Judy Ann Priebe Walker Yantis of Warrensburg, Missouri. Also survived by grandchildren Alexander Matthew Brown (Tammara Farnsworth) and Erin Christine Brown Gillen (Jeremy Gillen) and three great-grandchildren Aubrey Skye Gillen, Riley Rae Brown and Lucas James Brown. She treasured her family.