Joyce Ode, age 81, of Decorah, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at Wellington Place in Decorah, Iowa.

Memorial service will be held at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Helms Funeral Home, 306 E. Water Street. 

Celebration of life will follow the memorial service from 1:00 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Helms Funeral Home, 306 E. Water Street, Decorah, Iowa 52101

Private Burial will be held at Washington Prairie Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Joyce to Wellington Place, 2475 River Road, Decorah, IA 52101.

Joyce was born on October 7, 1944, in Decorah, IA the daughter of the late Rudolph and Gail Wepler Ode. Joyce made her home with her parents for 35 years on the family farm in rural Decorah until she moved to Wellington Place in 1979. Growing up, Joyce was a member of the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church in Winneshiek County, IA where she was baptized by Rev. Oscar Engebretson and lovingly supported by her church family.

Joyce shared joy the way her name carried it – with light, wisdom, and an excellent sense of humor. She shared her big heart with everyone she met. She had a special fondness for newborn babies and loved animals, music, I Love Lucy, having her nails painted, and teasing her brothers-in-law. As a child, Joyce enjoyed sledding down snowy hills on the family farm, fishing trips on the Mississippi in the family-built pontoon, and spending time at huge family gatherings at local parks where you would surely find her near the swings. Some of Joyce’s favorite memories were made traveling with her mom – trips with sister Karen and family in their RV to visit with sister Judy and family in Virginia and then, later, in California, on summer vacation at lake resorts in Minnesota, and to Colorado to visit with family. Throughout her later years, Joyce and her nephew, Matt, shared a deep and unbreakable bond.

She will be forever loved and remembered by sisters Judith (Judy) Carol Boiler and Karen Beth McClintock; brothers-in-law Bill and Don; nephew Matthew (Matt); nieces Lori, Jodi, Elizabeth (Betsy), Courtney, Christina, and Marit; great-nephews Jacob, Tyler, and Arlo; great-nieces Mary Jo and Georgia; countless friends and family who loved her deeply; and a vast community of caregivers and residents at Wellington Place whose lives she touched. Joyce is preceded in death by her father Rudolph Wilhelm Ode, mother Gail Thelma Wepler Ode, and brother LaDue Wayne (Butch) Ode.