Kenneth "Kenny" Joyce

Kenneth D. “Kenny” Joyce, 81, of Cloquet passed away Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at Aspirus St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth with his family by his side.

Kenny was born Oct. 1, 1943, in Cloquet, the son of Ed and Eunice (Pedersen) Joyce. He graduated from Mountain Lake High School in 1961 and played football and baseball in his younger days.

Kenny started playing fastpitch softball in 1960 in Mountain Lake, and it became a lifelong passion.

He married Glenna Steinle, his high school sweetheart, in 1965 in Mountain Lake and they moved to Cloquet, where they made their home and raised their children, Jennifer and James “Bud.”

Kenny worked for Potlatch in Cloquet and Northern Natural Gas Company in Carlton as a measurement technician from 1971 until retiring in 2000. He then took on a manager role at Braun Park in Cloquet. He was also a high school and college softball, football and baseball sports official.

Kenny loved being outdoors, hunting ducks, rabbits, pheasant, deer, fox, coyote and crows. While his hunting tactics could be questionable at times, they were original and often effective. He was an excellent shot, could shoot both left- and right-handed, standing still or from a moving vehicle, in the light or the dark. His hunting stories with “Doc,” Pete, “Lil” Pete, Bud, John and Cory were something you’d find hard to believe.

He was also a skilled handball and racquetball player, participating in Cloquet leagues and tournaments. Kenny was also able to fix almost anything, or at least try his hand at it. He was a craftsman, making many beautiful items at home or in his pole barn in Wrenshall.

Kenny’s passion for fastpitch softball included playing, umpiring and coaching, the construction of Braun Park, and being a fan of the Proctor High School team. He played for several teams during his 20-plus-year career, most notably Viking Steak House in Cloquet. Kenny umpired men’s fastpitch, high school and college softball for more than 30 years, including men’s state, regional and national tournaments, girls’ state tournaments, and college women’s softball. He coached and sponsored youth boys and girls teams, and managed men’s teams over the years.

He was instrumental in the development of Braun Park, and his duties included umpire recruiting, scheduling and training, and park maintenance.

Kenny was a fan of any and all fastpitch softball, but in the last 12 years, a devoted fan to the Proctor girls high school team. He often sat in the Rails dugout, offering advice and support to the players, and occasionally giving the umpires “advice” as well.

Kenny was inducted into the Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Kenny will be greatly missed by his wife of 59 years, Glenna; children, Jennifer Joyce and Bud (Heidi) Joyce; grandchildren, Hunter Haugen (Alex), Jackson Nemmers, Megan Norby and Courtney Norby; great-grandchildren, Dondi and Daizee Haugen, Rylee Holshouser, and Natalie, Genevieve and Declan Schuelke; and brother David Joyce. He was preceded in death by his mother, Eunice, and stepfather, MV Collis; his father, Ed Joyce; his in-laws; and brother Buddy Joyce.

A Gathering of Family and Friends begins at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 24 at Nelson Funeral Care in Cloquet. Family remembrances will begin at noon. To leave an online condolence for the family, visit http://www.nelsonfuneralcare.net.

Pine Knot News, Jan. 24, 2025