Joy Lois Latzke's Obituary
Joy Lois Latzke, age 79, passed away on April 25, 2024, just one day short of her 80th birthday. Joy was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 26, 1944 to parents Charles Rudolph and Doris Rudolph (Jakeway). She was raised in Chicago until her teen years when her family moved to Elgin, Illinois, where Joy spent the remainder of her school years. Upon graduating from high school, Joy attended and graduated with a nursing degree from Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. As the years passed, Joy found herself working in Tulsa, Oklahoma as a labor and delivery nurse at Hillcrest Hospital, where she spent the majority of her nursing career.
Joy is survived by her husband of 41 years, John G. Latzke, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with whom she shared her passion for sailing and spending ample time at the lake. Outside of lake life, John and Joy were active in their church community and enjoyed attending church weekly as members of Kirk Of The Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As 27-year members of The Kirk, John & Joy made numerous friends over the years. Joy was particularly well-liked within their church community, as people were naturally drawn to her friendly demeanor and her big, beautiful smile. John and Joy, along with other church members, participated in mission trips to Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica, which were very rewarding for them both. Joy would always light up when talking about these trips, for she loved meeting people from foreign cultures and helping them in any way she could. Joy was inherently a very gracious person, so she easily made friends with the local residents on these trips, which she captured in the photos she proudly showed off when she returned home.
Joy was known by her friends and family as a truly “joyful” person, full of light and laughter. She was generous with her love, which she especially liked to share with her beloved children, daughter Chani Hileman and husband Eric, son John T. Latzke and wife Kristy, and daughter Kathi Lee and husband Mark. Joy’s grandchildren, Brett Hileman, Grant Hileman, Emily Hileman, John W. Latzke, Kaytee Latzke, Madison Lee, and Kaden Lee, only added countless more moments of happiness to Joy, a.k.a. Grandma Joy. She truly adored each of her grandchildren. And finally, there were Joy’s little Maltese babies, first Cede and currently Tina, who both brought great comfort and happiness to her life for numerous years.
Other than the love she had for her family, her fur babies, and her church, Joy also loved traveling, shopping, and collecting art pieces. These three activities melded together perfectly when she traveled, for she much enjoyed shopping for paintings, sculptures, or figurines created by local artists. She and John were fortunate enough to have visited Israel a couple of times, which Joy absolutely loved seeing. She also enjoyed visiting Hawaii, which she traveled to with both her mother and her husband over the years. Hawaii was particularly well-suited for her with all of its vivid, beautiful colors, which Joy was known for wearing. Joy could often be found shopping for her colorful outfits, which brought her great happiness, at her favorite store, Chico’s. Truly, her outfits represented how she felt inside - vibrant and joyful.
Joy is preceded in death by her father and her mother, to whom she was very close, as well as by her beloved brother Charles, husband to Joy’s sister-in-law, Janey Rudolph, and father to Joy’s niece, Amy Nannini. Joy passed away the morning of April 25th at Legend Senior Living Memory Care in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was warmly cared for by a fabulous group of medical professionals. Joy’s family want to make sure the team at Legend know how very grateful they are to have found such a kind group of people to care for Joy in her time of need.
Throughout her 80 years of life, Joy Latzke was a gracious, lovable person with a heart full of giving and kindness. She was a beautiful soul and will be profoundly missed by her husband, family, and friends. It’s easy to see that Joy truly lived her name well. Now, may she forever rest in peace.
A memorial service for Joy will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday May 9, 2024 at Kirk Of The Hills Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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