Erie Middle School Ancestor Project: Joyce Wisdom

Students conducted interviews with family members, and some were able to gather additional resources and pictures to help tell their story. While there were many great stories written, not all will be published. 

This project was a collaborative effort between students’ history classes with Mrs. Kruthoff & Mr. Armstrong, English class with Ms. Baldwin, and their families. It was inspired by the original project that long-time English teacher, Mrs. Wiersema, made a tradition in her 8th grade class.

Students enjoyed getting to know more about their families, and many were surprised to learn how interesting their families were. We hope you all will enjoy their stories, too!

   Joyce Wisdom, by Elena Mitchell

My great grandmother is a very hardworking woman. Since she was so hardworking, I’m going to talk about her in this paper! My great grandma’s full name is Joyce Marie Wisdom. I know her because she is my maternal great grandmother, I visit her a lot, and I’ve known her since birth. I chose her because she has many kids, has lived awhile and thought she would have a lot of history since she is 91! 

Joyce was born on October 30, 1934. She was born in her family’s farmhouse in Geneseo. Her father, Peter Minnaert, was a farmer, and her mother, Sophia Vandersnick Minnaert, was a housewife. They were married November 27, 1919. Joyce had two older brothers, Gene and Don. She also had one older sister, Dolores. She also had a younger brother, David, who died when he was 2 years old of stomach issues. While Joyce was growing up, she did many activities. Joyce grew up on the farm, and loved to ride horses. Except she had to ride the working draft horses. They were so big she had to make them stand by a fence so she could get on them! Joyce also raised chickens and had a lot of chores. Joyce went to a one room schoolhouse that was 2 miles away! Joyce had to share a bike with Dolores. Joyce pedaled while Dolores steered! 

In Joyce’s adult life, she had a very big and happy family. Joyce married William Wisdom on September 12th, 1953. (The same year John F Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy were married!) They were married in St. Malachy’s church in Geneseo. They were married until William’s death on February 8th, 2021. Joyce had 5 children, Chris, Steve, Dan, Mary, and Billy. Joyce did not go to college. Right out of high school, she was a bookkeeper for Lee Lumber in Geneseo until she was pregnant with Chris. Then, while raising her 5 children, Joyce was also a housewife and bookkeeper for the farm. After that, she worked for Erie Country Club, the Ranch Supper Club, and Fireside Restaurant. Then, her favorite job was being a rural carrier for the Erie post office. She carried 310 packages in 7 days for 18 years! Finally, she did bookkeeping for their trucking company, Wisdom Trucking, until she retired. Joyce now lives in Erie, Illinois. 

Joyce says her biggest accomplishment was, “Keeping my faith, marriage, raising 5 kids, running a household, and keeping my sanity, kind of!” She also said, “..And having 8 grandkids, 9 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild.” This was important to Joyce because she is very proud of the family she has built over the years. 

If I had to describe my great grandmother in one word, it would be hardworking. I chose hardworking because she has done so much in her life and it takes a lot of hard work to do the things she did. I will always remember Joyce coming to almost all of my activities, even when she didn’t have to. I appreciate that. After writing this paper, I feel like she is a good role model to follow, and did a lot more things than I thought.

Elena Mitchell, Miss Baldwin’s Language Arts class