Joyce E. Upperstrom

Joyce E. Upperstrom, age 84, of Iron River, MI, passed away on Friday, January 31, 2020 at her home with her family by her side.  She was born on July 27, 1935 in Calumet, MI, the daughter of the late John and Ailie (Laakaniemi) Maki. Joyce married Ronald Upperstrom on August 8, 1953 in Iron River, MI.  The couple celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary in 2004. Ronald preceded her in death on March 27, 2005.    She was employed by an adult foster care home and as a private home health care giver for many years.  She was passionate about caring for others, always putting the needs of family, friends, and neighbors before her own. She enjoyed gardening, reading, and creating masterful artwork with her grandchildren.  She was also an avid Packer fan who loved hosting game day dinners on Sundays.     Joyce is survived by her sons, Kevin (Christina) Upperstrom of Iron River, MI and James (Patty) Upperstrom of Elkhorn, WI; daughters, Rhonda (Mike) Brunswick and Cathy (Dale) Alessandrini, both of Iron Mountain, MI; brother, Wayne (Diane) Maki of Nevada; sister, Shirley Mortl of Racine, WI; 11 grandchildren, Michael Brunswick, Stephanie Coe, Erica Taylor, Rhonda Brey, Jackie Koski, Cory Upperstrom, Craig Upperstrom, Erick Upperstrom, Tyler Upperstrom, Mario Alessandrini and Matt Alessandrini;; 11 great grandchildren; special niece, Donna Paul of Caspian, MI; extended family and friends.  She was preceded in death by her brothers, Clifford and Dean Maki and sister, Junette Maki. A Celebration of Life will be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Iron County Cancer Closet or Relay for Life of Iron County. We would like to take this time to say thank you to Dr. Sharon Shepich and her staff for their wonderful care and concern during Joyce’s illness.  Thank you to our friends at Aspirus for their compassionate care during her hospital stay.  Thank you to the staff at the Iron County Medical Care Facility whose hard work made it possible for us to keep her at home during her final months.  Thank you to Marylou and Tess from Aspirus Home Health for making her feel like family. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Joyce E. Upperstrom, please visit our flower store.