Joyce I. Sindt

Joyce Ilene Nelsen was born on a small farm in rural Otter Tail County, Minnesota, on October 28, 1934, to Arthur and Vivian Nelsen. She grew up on the farm with her sister, Adeline. Joyce and Adeline left the farm to attend high school in nearby Underwood, staying with different families.

Joyce moved to Denver with her best friend, Leona, at age 19 where she worked as a key punch operator at Gates Rubber Company. They had different apartments in the Capital Hill and East Colfax neighborhoods and had a great time shopping at all the department stores on 16th Street and going to movies at the old Ogden and Paramount theaters. On New Years Eve, 1954, she went on a double date with a friend and met Vince Sindt. One year later, on New Years Day 1956, they were married. Vince was newly returned from the Navy and was attending the Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley.

Debbie was born in Greeley in 1957, and after Vince graduated and got a teaching job at Evergreen High School, they moved to Golden, where Kathy was born in 1960. They built a house in Evergreen and moved in on Kathy’s birthday in 1963.

In 1965, the family moved to Kwajalein, in the Marshall Islands for 3 years. Vince taught at the high school, and for the first 2 years, Joyce worked in the Special Services office. In 1967, Joyce was employed by MIT as a document custodian for the radar array at the Missile Test Sight on a nearby island. She rode her bike to the airport and flew to work every morning and back home every night.

In 1968, they moved to Cheyenne, and for the first time in their marriage, Joyce chose not to work outside the home. She spent her time sewing most of the girls’ new clothes for the Cheyenne winter weather, and was active in leading Girl Scouts, including as troop leader for Debbie’s cadet troop, and acting as cookie chair for the neighborhood, resulting in so many cookies in the living room that it was impossible to walk.

After moving to Laramie in 1971, Joyce was employed in several departments at the University of Wyoming, including the grant office for humanities, the education extension office, and the English Department. After she retired in 1996, she volunteered as a board member for the Wyoming Territorial Prison Museum and was the Albany County Delegate to the Wyoming Democratic Convention. She played bridge regularly and continued to sew, craft, quilt, and care for the 100 or so plants in the 2-story greenhouse attached to their solar home.

After Vince retired, the couple travelled in their RV with friends, and spent winters in Yuma, AZ. In 2010, they moved to Denver to be closer to family and moved to the Sky Pointe Retirement Resort in 2021.

Joyce is survived by daughters Deb Beatty and Kathy Sindt, granddaughters Lisa Brown (Darold) and Christa Snodgrass (Charles) 4 great grandchildren, Brady (18), Liam (14), Danae (10) and Ryland (9) cousins, nieces, nephews, and many good friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Vince, and sister Adeline Bauman.

The celebration of life for Joyce Sindt will be on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Sky Pointe Retirement Resort, 5824 S. Taft St., Littleton, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the “Gardens Fund” at the Denver Botanic Gardens.