Joyce Stauss

Joyce Elnora Stauss died November 14, 2020 at Pine Haven Christian Communities in Sheboygan Falls from COVID-19. She passed from death to life and is at home with her Savior.
Born April 18, 1926, Joyce was the daughter of Herman and Elnora (Kolgen) Metko. She grew up in Menasha and was a graduate of Menasha High School. Joyce then completed a three-year program at St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in Racine and became a registered nurse. While at St. Luke's, she enlisted in the United States Cadet Nurse Corps. During World War II, St. Luke's was one of the first nursing schools in the nation to institute a Cadet Program, which offered six months of specialized training in government hospitals after thirty months of instruction in Racine. Joyce did her specialized training at Cook County Hospital, at that time an army hospital, in Chicago. Friendships made during her nurse's training continued throughout Joyce's life. She recently said that there were only two nurses still alive from her nursing class.
While in Racine, Joyce met her future husband, John, on a blind date to a baseball game. They were married on July 17,1948 in Racine. They moved to various cities in Wisconsin to follow John's education and employment opportunities. Joyce worked as a surgical nurse while John was finishing his degrees at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. After the couple moved to Sheboygan, Joyce worked as a nurse for Dr. Schott at the Sheboygan Clinic. Joyce was a stay at home mother after her children were born but she continued her nursing career, becoming an unofficial caregiver to many family members, friends, neighbors, and anyone in need.
Joyce is survived by brother Greg (Ellen) Metko of Ironwood, MI; children David (Roxie) Stauss of Maple Grove, MN, Linda Rankin of Pocatello, ID, and Patricia (David) Kraus of Mosinee, WI; grandchildren Paul Stauss of Maple Grove, MN, Kari (Garth) Grawburg of Rogers, MN, Allison (Chad) Stauss-Fuchs of Inver Grove Heights, MN, and John (Hannah) Rankin of Fort Collins, CO; and great grandchildren Leah and Julia Grawburg. Joyce was preceded in death by infant son James, husband, John, brother, Clem, and parents, Herman and Elnora Metko.
A private burial will be held on November 23, 2020 at Graceland Cemetery in Racine, WI. Rev. John Berg from Trinity Lutheran Church will officiate. A celebration of her life will be held at the cemetery in June 2021.
In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to the Stauss Endowment at the Good Shepherd Institute, Concordia Theological Seminary, 6600 N. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, IN, 46825.
Matthew 28:20 "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." God's abiding presence comforted Joyce throughout her life.