Joyce A Nolte

Joyce Ann Reed Nolte lived her life serving others as a servant of God.  Born the first of three sisters on December 12th, 1941 in Indianapolis, Indiana to parents Emmett and Mary Reed. Joyce spent her formative years in Indiana before her father’s job took the family to Tucson, Arizona in 1947 and later to Phoenix in 1960.   Joyce graduated from Rincon High School in Tucson before entering a brief marriage which resulted in the birth of Joyce’s heart and joy, her son Steven, in 1963.  Joyce married her husband Marion Nolte in 1972 and the Nolte family lived in Tempe, Arizona for most of their 49 years of marriage.  Joyce worked for the Arizona State Department of Statistics until her retirement.  Joyce and Marion moved to a retirement community in Show Low, Arizona to enjoy a much-deserved retirement. 

Those are not the most important things to know about Joyce.  What is most important is her unwavering selflessness and servitude to those in the most need. She truly lived in the Spirit of Christ and walked with Him as she served those whom society had deemed not worthy.

Matthew 25:40 – Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

For most of her life, Joyce volunteered through her church and other organizations to care for those in need.  She spent many blazing hot days in the desert to deliver food and water to the homeless. While doing this work, she met many, many people who were homeless due to substance misuse, addiction, mental illness, and trauma. Joyce felt the Lord in her heart and felt compelled to bring as much hope and council as she could to the people who she found so valuable and worthy of God’s love.  To her they seemed to be thrown away and that she could not stand for.  She expanded her volunteering and ministry to include prisons, rehabilitation centers, and other institutions where people are forgotten.  Joyce fostered a young boy who was born into addiction and experienced significant trauma in his young life.  She kept him in her heart and life until her passing and I am sure she is still holding him close.

Luke 6:35 – But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and evil.

Joyce is truly inspirational and lived her life without judgement. She is survived by her husband of 49 years Marion Nolte, her son Steven Nolte, her sisters Mary Fischer and Joan Kullos, and her foster-son Levi Marcelli. Joyce is also inspiring, loved and remembered fondly by her niece Sally Thigpen.

John 15:12-13 – My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no on than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joyce A Nolte, please visit our floral store.