Joyce Elaine Vugteveen
October 28, 1952 - March 24, 2021

Vugteveen, Ms.
Joyce Elaine
Muskegon, Michigan
10/28/1952 - 3/24/2021

Joyce Vugteveen of Norton Shores passed away on March 24, 2021. She lost her husband Joel Vugteveen, Jr., DDS, in May of 2020. She leaves behind her loving children, Damian Bullis and his wife Leah Smith, Elizabeth "Betsy" Butterfield, and Joel "Drew" Vugteveen. Joyce was born at Hackley Hospital and grew up on Manor Drive with her parents Bert and Audrey Bender, and older brothers, Lew and Carl. She graduated from Mona Shores High School, Class of '71 and then attended community college. A college project she was proud of was collecting oral histories from African Americans about the Great Migration in Muskegon. A favorite job while in school was managing KFC where she met lifelong best friend Laura Martin, and then Rick Bullis, whom she married. She then gave birth to their son, Damian. Although the marriage didn't last, they stayed friends until his death in 2017. After their divorce, she worked at Holly's Bistro in the Heights, just down the road from where she raised her son as a single mom. In 1984 she married Joel Vugteveen, Jr, the love of her life. For close to 20 years, she managed the office for Joel's dental practice. At work and at home, Joyce was famous for her rambunctious, infectious sense of humor. She was always commenting on mundane aspects of daily life and getting laughs. Joyce's hobbies included traveling the world with Joel, impeccably curating flower planters everywhere, spending as much time at the beach or near water as possible, including "swimming" with her pool group, and always with a rescue mutt by her side that she treated better than family. Joyce volunteered with the WDCC and Tanglewood Senior Center until the last year of her life.
SURVIVORS
Joyce is survived by her son Damian (Leah), step-children Drew and Betsy, her brother Lewis (Mary), sister in law Carla, nieces and nephews Keli, Ben, Britt, George, and Angyl. Joyce valued her friendships deeply and she leaves a community of amazing women and men who appreciated her loving idiosyncratic ways. She was preceeded in death by Rick, her beloved husband Joel, and her brother Carl. A Celebration of Life for both Joyce and Joel is tentatively in the works for this summer if the virus allows. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to local nonprofit dog rescue, Pound Buddies.

Please visit www.clockfuneralhome.com to leave a memory or sign the online guestbook.
Clock Funeral Home - Muskegon

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