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January 27, 1930-
February 23, 2023
Betty “Joyce” Lindquist, 93, of Grand Marais and New Brighton, Minnesota passed away peacefully in her New Brighton home on February 23rd, surrounded by her beloved family.
Joyce was born on January 27, 1930, in Colome, South Dakota to Robert and Agnes (Tagtow) Russell. Her family moved to Two Harbors in 1935, where her father had a mail route along the North Shore. The family moved to Lutsen, and eventually to Grand Marais in 1942. In 1948 her mother and father bought a resort cabin business and named it Russell’s Cottages. The business has remained a family-operated business since 1948.
In Grand Marais, Joyce helped cleaning cabins and got her first salaried job outside the family while she was in high school working at the telephone company as an operator. It was a job she loved, partly because she enjoyed connecting calls for town residents, but also because she was intent on earning money to attend and graduate with a teaching degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Not only did she pay her own tuition, but she also worked hard to help finance her parents’ cottages in lean years. Joyce graduated from Cook County High School in 1948. It was there that she met the love of her life, Gordon. Both Joyce and Gordon graduated from UMD. They married in 1952 and moved back to Grand Marais.
When Joyce and Gordon returned to Grand Marais, Joyce began the first kindergarten in Cook County. While Joyce taught, Gordon opened his insurance business and drove a school bus before shipping out with the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.
Joyce was an exception to conventional educational thinking, influenced by the two years she spent in college teaching at the Lab School at UMD. For much of public-school history, Kindergarten was not compulsory. But Joyce was an early believer in the positive impact Kindergarten has on a developing child, and in the fall of 1953, Joyce led the Cook County schools to open the first Kindergarten in the county. She taught over 100 students each day, efficiently managing her classes without the help from an assistant. She was a beloved first teacher to many students in Grand Marais, many of whom continue to share how much they enjoyed being a student in her Kindergarten class.
When Gordon returned from the Navy, his insurance career led him to move to Duluth, and then to the Twin Cities. They settled in New Brighton where Joyce, a devoted wife and mother, placed the same energy of her teaching into raising her children, Reid and Julie. She also was an indispensable partner to Gordon as he continued to advance in his career. Gordon’s leadership in the insurance industry required extensive travel throughout the United States and the world, and Joyce was the perfect travel companion. She was always game to visit a new country, engage fellow travelers and to make do with conditions at hand. She loved travel and loved learning about the countries she visited. Among her favorite destinations were London, Ireland, Paris, Scandinavia, Japan and Costa Rica.
Joyce continued to help with Russell’s Cottages each summer, and she and Gordon took over operating the business in 1992. Both enjoyed the friendships and conversations with many of the guests who returned each summer.
Joyce is survived by children, Reid (Anne) and Julie (Tim); grandchildren, Siri, Anders, Kaia (Joe Haase), Erik and Soren Lindquist; Sophie and Andy Lehmann; sister Pat (Ray) Petry, and many nieces and nephews. She also leaves behind many loving friends and neighbors that will deeply miss her. She is preceded in death by her parents and her beloved husband, Gordon.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 9th at 11:00 a.m., visitation at 10 a.m. at Gracepoint Church, 2351 Rice Creek Road, New Brighton, MN 55112. Interment service will be held at Maple Hill Cemetery, Grand Marais, MN later this spring.
In lieu of flowers, donations to honor Joyce Lindquist’s contributions to children’s literacy may be directed to Minnesota Children’s Press, P.O. Box 301 Grand Marais, MN 55604
Arrangements handled by Holcomb-Henry-Boom-Purcell Funeral Home, Shoreview, MN. For information contact: 651-482-7806
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