Bozeman, MT – Joyce Nilson Howard passed away to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on December, 29, 2021.
She was born in New Jersey in 1938 and met her husband, Jim Howard, a future pastor and accomplished artist, while at Wheaton College, where she earned a Nursing degree. They were married in 1962 after she finished volunteering as a nurse among the Native American tribes of Alaska. They served together in church and community ministry in Minnesota, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. Jim was the pastor of the Thief River Falls Evangelical Free Church in the early 2000s. Joyce is warmly remembered for her humble hospitality, hosting, and connecting people at their dinner table wherever Jim and she ministered.
She is lovingly survived by her husband, Jim; her children, Andrea (Jim Hawthorne), Jim (Beth), Sonja (Bruce Nisley), Peter (Angela); fifteen grandchildren; two great-grandchildren, one whose baptism she attended two days before her passing; and her siblings, Noel Nilson and Lynne Johnson.
A Memorial was held at Bozeman Alliance Fellowship on January 3, 2022.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to ministries that her children lead: Yellowstone Alliance Adventures (https://www.yaacamp.org), or the Accord Network (https://accordnetwork.org/payments/ – please note memorial in memo line).
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