05/04/2026
Joyce Marie Bettenbrock-Krebs, 58, of Cement City, Michigan, passed away peacefully in her home on April 21, 2026, surrounded by her loved ones. She spent her final moments of life overlooking the lake, listening to birds, and smelling the spring rains.
Joyce was born on September 6, 1967, in Salina, Kansas, and grew up in the Ellsworth and Kanopolis area on her family's ranch. She graduated from Ellsworth High School in 1986, then went on to Kansas State University, where she earned her degree in Business Administration in 1990. After graduating, she moved to Griswold, Iowa, before settling down in Omaha, Nebraska, for most of her adult years. In 2023, she moved to Cement City, Michigan, with her partner, Scott, spending the final years of her life at their relaxing lake home. No matter where she lived, she kept in her heart the many dear friends and family connections made in Kansas.
In 1997, she had her first son, Addison Logan. A little over two years later, in 1999, she had her second son, Austin Lee. While living in Omaha, she bought a house that overlooked Lake Zorinsky in West Omaha. She enjoyed spending her days playing with her cats, feeding the fish in the pond, gardening, walking, and biking around the lake. She cherished her time with her sons and supported them as they became wonderful young men. Joyce spent many weekends watching Austin’s baseball games and many Mondays with Addison at Boy Scout meetings.
Joyce loved her sons and helped motivate them to be their own people. She always encouraged them to form their own opinions, understand the world in their own way, and choose the paths that were right for them. Throughout it all, she was constantly supportive of their decisions, proud of their accomplishments, and marveled at the wonderful young men that they have become.
Joyce was also well respected professionally. She worked behind the scenes with medical billing, which allowed her to advocate for herself, her sons, and other friends and family members when complicated (and expensive) medical bills arrived in the mail. She was always an organized, thoughtful, and meticulous person, which made many aspects of this work a second nature to her.
Joyce passed away at 58 years old and is preceded in death by her father, Frank Bettenbrock. She is survived by her mother, Alice; her sister, Cheryl (Virgil); her sons, Addison and Austin; her partner, Scott; and many cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces, and nephews, who will always value her gentle, affirming, and safe presence that she gave to them, and will continue to give to them after her passing.
A celebration of life is at 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the JH Robbins Memorial Library Community Room in Ellsworth, Kansas. Burial is at 11:00 AM at Buckeye Cemetery in rural Kanopolis, Kansas.
