Joy Ann Potthoff Obituary Joy Ann (Nicklason) Potthoff of Nisswa, MN, passed away at home on January 6, 2023, at the age of 88, surrounded by family and her cat Gigi. The youngest of 12 children, Joys older sisters convinced her parents, William and Vida (Swenson), to name her Joy, because it was such a joy to have a girl after four boys. Born at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul, MN, on January 12, 1934, Joy was raised on the family farm in Lindstrom, MN. A Swedish Lutheran, Joy attended Trinity Lutheran Church in Lindstrom as a child, where she sang Swedish hymns in a quartet with three of her brothers, accompanied by their mother on the piano. Her father died of nephritis when she was two, and she had to work hard keeping house while her mother kept the farm going with the help of the other children, especially her oldest brother Edgar. When Joy was 16, her mother remarried and sold the farm. Her stepfather told Joy and her brother Melvin they were old enough to fend for themselves. Homeless, Joys sister Toni took her in so she could continue attending Chisago Lakes High School. Her life took a turn for the better when her sister Lillians mother-in-law suggested she work at Minnewawa Lodge in Nisswa, MN. Her future husband, Fritz Potthoff, the owners son, was impressed that he didnt have to teach her how to clean cabins or do quantity cooking. They married in Lindstrom, MN, purchased Minnewawa Lodge from Fritzs father, and raised six children. After selling the resort in 1972, Joy cooked and baked at Sportland Cafe, Lost Lake Lodge, Island View Lodge, and Camp Vanasek. She cleaned cabins at Bobergs and Alluring Pines resorts on Lake Hubert, and Lazy Brook Resort. She also catered events with a friend of hers, including a dinner in 1975 to help raise funds to build the new sanctuary at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa. The women of St. Christophers Catholic Church in Nisswa hosted and served the dinner. Joy was also a Camp Fire Girl leader, having groups at Nisswa School and several schools in Brainerd, and taking care of Camp Vanasek. Joy was a master bread maker, known for her caramel rolls and cinnamon bread. She sewed all the curtains for the resort, knit sweaters for her kids and made braided rugs. Her favorite pastimes were backgammon tournaments with Fritz, playing 500 and cribbage card games, solving crossword puzzles, and watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. She became an expert Nintendo gamer, teaching her grandchildren how to play Mario Brothers, Duck Hunt, and Tetris. Most of all, Joy loved to laugh. She was a member of the Lake Hubert Womens Club and was a charter member of Lutheran Church of the Cross, where she and her good friend, Maxine Petersen, started the LCC rummage sale. Joy was a sandwich generation woman, raising six children while also driving to McGrath, MN, weekly to help her mother and stepfather. Joys mother Vida moved in with her in 1972, and Joy was her caretaker until Vidas death in 1976. Joy was often too busy to change clothes or comb her hair before running to her next activity, but she always put on her red lipstick. Even with dementia, she remembered if she hadnt put lipstick on. She lived the motto, "Slap on a little lipstick youll be fine." Joy was preceded in death by her parents and husband Frederick (Fritz) Wilcox Potthoff, Jr.; her grandson Frederick Wilcox Potthoff IV; her sisters Ellen Peterson, Verna Resler, Doris Enlund, Antoinette Johnson, and Lillian Anderson; and her brothers Edgar, David, Otto, Oscar, Gordon, and Melvin. She is survived by her children Fred III (Judy), Nancy (Robert) Kirsch, Susan, Sandra (Leslie Grant), Laura (Dale) Eggert, and Leila (Mark) Froehle; grandchildren Amy (Justin) Anderson, Caroline (Jeff) Cullison, Marie Kirsch, Julie (Dan Lynch) Kirsch, Patrick (Chelsey) Froehle, and Eva (Thomas) Stordy; and great-grandchildren Benjamin, Joseph, Lily, Archer, and Kamren. She is also survived by her godchild Jean Margaritis, Jeans mother Robin Otto, her foreign exchange student daughter Berta Delvalle of Panama, who named her daughter after Joy, and many nieces and nephews. The family owes a debt of gratitude to Leila, her husband Mark, and Robin Otto for taking care of Joy, and to Dr. Reese, Dr. Anderholm, and Good Samaritan Society Hospice. A celebration of Joys life will be held at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa on Saturday, January 14 at 11 am, visitation one hour prior to service, and lunch to follow. Memorials preferred to Lutheran Church of the Cross.