Age 73, of Stillwater, MN
Joy was born at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul on November 15, 1947. She was an only child to Richard and Lorraine Lewis. At a young age she moved to Inver Grove Heights and joined Bethesda Lutheran Church. Joy started in the South Saint Paul school system and eventually attended Pine Bend Elementary School. She started seventh grade in South Saint Paul since Inver Grove Heights didn’t have a junior high school. She moved to Simley in the 8th grade and met a character named Fred Grimsrud in the 9th grade. Joy graduated from Simley with honors and was soon named Junior Miss of Inver Grove Heights and then Miss South Saint Paul in 1965. Joy attended the University of Minnesota and graduated in 1969 with a degree in Education, specializing in Home 
Economics. Two weeks later she married Fred. They honeymooned in Lutsen, MN and when they returned home from the honeymoon Joy learned she was hired by the St. Paul school district. She taught at Hazel Park Junior High School for 7 years. She then took time off to have Tara Joy in 1975 and Christian Paul in 1977. She loved her time home with her kids, making clothes and costumes. When both children were old enough to go to school, Joy went back and got her Masters Degree in Special Education. Shortly after graduation she was hired by the Inver Grove Heights school district where she taught for 17 more years and really enjoyed teaching. Joy had a special way of teaching and was the ideal special education educator because she knew what it took, having an extra special son. When Fred retired, there was no way she was going to be the only one working so they both retired in June 2004.
In 2002 her first granddaughter Addison Joy was born and her life as Nanny, as she liked to be called, took off. Soon came along Aidan Joseph in 2004 and finally Ava Joelle was here in 2006. Numerous sporting events, dance recitals, birthday parties, family vacations and school activities became a priority in her life. Joy and Fred loved watching Tara become an excellent teacher and amazing mother, and could not be more proud.
Throughout life there were many wonderful trips around the world with and without family making lots of great memories. Joy loved traveling to new places, eating good food, meeting new friends and sharing her faith with different people. One of her favorite places was Santorini Island in the Greek Isles with its distinctive dark blue roofs, white walls, striking beauty and it rarely rained. Fred and Joy met a lot of interesting people and had some pretty exciting excursions like walking up the side of a mountain and ending at the top of a waterfall in Norway, seeing the glaciers in Alaska, canoeing in Belize and learning how to do the hula in Hawaii. Traveling was fun, but it was always great to come back home to so many wonderful good friends and family and her beautiful home.
A few years ago in 2019, it started to feel right to move from their home of 50 plus years and all the responsibilities that come with it, to something more suited to their age and lifestyle, when they discovered the Lakes at Stillwater. They decided to make the move in the beginning of 2020 and instantly fell in love with the location, people and new church.
Through all this adventure she was never far from God. She studied the bible, lived it and grew from it, loving her lord and people around her. She looked forward to this walk of faith at their new church but it was cut short.
In July 2021 she began her brief battle with Lymphoma. It came on aggressively and God took her home quickly and peacefully on Sept 23, 2021.
She is survived by her husband, Fred; daughter, Tara (A.J.) Zinck of Deer Park; 3 grandchildren, Addie, Aidan and Ava; sister-in-law, Susan (Gary) Hoven; brother-in-law, Steve (Mary) Grimsrud; brother-in-law, Roy (Toni) Grimsrud; nephew Martin (Devanie) Hoven, nephew Robert (Noelle) Hoven and niece Chelsie (John) Kolnik. She was preceded in death by her son, Christian Paul; and her parents, Richard and Lorraine Lewis. Joy was a faithful and active member at Bethesda Lutheran Church where a funeral service will be held at 11 AM Saturday, October 2, 2021. Visitation 10-11 AM prior to the service at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 2855 47th Street E., Inver Grove Heights. We will be practicing Covid-19 protocols with masking and social distancing.