Shirley Irene Baerwaldt Joyce, a longtime resident of Mesa, died November 28th, 2022 of
natural causes. She was 88 years old.
Shirley was born at home on Mothers Day Sunday May 13, 1934 in Beardsley Minnesota. She was the youngest of 5 children of the late Lizzie and Herman Baerwaldt. She lived and worked on her family’s farm which gave her a lifetime love of animals and the outdoors. After graduating from high school she worked as a nanny for several families and then obtained a nursing certificate and worked as a C.N.A. & dietitian in the hospital. When she was 24 years old she went to visit her brother Everett in Duluth, Minn and he introduced her to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Six weeks later she was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints.
Shirley loved Jesus Christ with all of her heart and she loved sharing that testimony with others. She was always making friends wherever she went. She spent a lifetime inviting others to see the same value in the church that she experienced. In 1961 she was called to serve as a full-time missionary in Norway. She loved the people and learned to speak Norwegian very well. In 1964 Shirley married Verne E. Davis and from that union was born 2 sons, Lane and Karl, and 2 daughters, Tiffany and Amber. She had a great love for children- her greatest joy was being a mother & then becoming a grandmother & great-grandmother.
She worked for the Mesa Public Schools transportation dept for over 10 years. Her favorite assignment was driving the football players to games & she adored interacting with the handicapped students on the special needs buses.
Shirley was a hard-working single mother for 20 years until she met the love of her life Jack
Atkins Joyce. They were married March 1st, 2000 in the Mesa temple. In their golden years
Shirley and Jack served a mission as ordinance workers in that temple for 6 years. They also
enjoyed taking road trips, growing & gifting citrus from their backyard and they spent countless hours doing family history indexing.
Shirley lived a life full of service to those around her; it was the foundation for her life. She had a gift for connecting to people in a special way. Her favorite hobby was finding ways to show love with little gifts & acts of service to her family, friends, neighbors & often strangers.
Left to cherish her memory are her sons Lane Davis (Joy) of Pleasanton, Calif & Karl Davis
(Sharla) of Mesa, Az; daughters Tiffany Tietjen (Dale) of San Tan, Az, and Amber McEntire
(Mike) of Payson Az; 11 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren, and one beloved brother
Kenneth Baerwaldt of Findlay, Ohio.
Services will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints located @ 5350 E
McLellan Rd Mesa, Az 85205 on Tuesday December 6th at 11am, proceeded by a viewing at 10:00am. Flowers may be sent to Mountain view funeral home 7900 E Main St, Mesa, AZ
85207.
Lane, Karl, Tiffany and Amber: We were saddened to hear of your
Mother’s passing. She may be gone from your sight, but she will
always remain in your hearts. When the Lord calls one home, He
leaves a gift of memories in exchange. Cherish them always. We
pray you are blessed at this special time.
Dear Lane, Karl, Tiffany, and Amber,
We were so saddened to hear of your Mother’s passing. She may be gone from your sight, but she will always remain in your hearts.
When the Lord calls one home, He leaves a gift of memories in
exchange. Cherish them always. We pray you are blessed at this
special time.
Ken & Nancy Baerwaldt
Lane, Karl, Tiffany, Amber and families. I am so sorry for your loss. Peace be with you. Sending hugs from my whole family. Love, your cousin, Lynn (Baerwaldt) Fees.
Lane, Karl, Tiffany and Amber: We were saddened to hear of your
Mother’s passing. She may be gone from your sight, but she will
always remain in your hearts. When the Lord calls one home, He
leaves a gift of memories in exchange. Cherish them always. We
pray you are blessed at this special time.
Dear Lane, Karl, Tiffany, and Amber,
We were so saddened to hear of your Mother’s passing. She may be gone from your sight, but she will always remain in your hearts.
When the Lord calls one home, He leaves a gift of memories in
exchange. Cherish them always. We pray you are blessed at this
special time.
Ken & Nancy Baerwaldt
Lane, Karl, Tiffany, Amber and families. I am so sorry for your loss. Peace be with you. Sending hugs from my whole family. Love, your cousin, Lynn (Baerwaldt) Fees.