Joyce Lorine Vogel, 97, of North Port, Florida, formerly of Punta Gorda, Florida, and Chelsea, Michigan, passed away Tuesday, May 5, 2026. She was born July 22, 1928, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the only child of Milton Bernard Hoffman and Lorine Mildred Haist Hoffman.
Joyce grew up on her family’s farm near Chelsea, began school in a one-room schoolhouse, and graduated from Chelsea High School at 16. There, Lewis “Phil” Vogel watched her play basketball and told a friend she was the girl he was going to marry. He was right. They wed July 3, 1948, and were married for 54 years. While Phil studied engineering at the University of Michigan, Joyce worked at an Ann Arbor bank and was proud to become its first woman teller. She later devoted herself to raising their daughters, Martha, Linda and Gretchen.
After Phil suffered a stroke in 1994, Joyce became his devoted caregiver until his death in 2002. Joyce loved gardening, travel, and her many years in the Punta Gorda Woman’s Club. Her faith was deeply important to her, though private, and she maintained a longtime connection to First Congregational Church of Chelsea.
Gracious, poised and fiercely independent, Joyce was an exceptional listener with a playful side known best to those closest to her. With her grandchildren, she was less a supervising adult than a willing co-conspirator, whether the plan involved ice cream or simply finding something to laugh about. She continued living independently into her 90s and drove until a week before her passing.
She is survived by her daughters, Martha Knopsnider (Stu), Linda Outwater (Craig), and Gretchen Nieb (Jim); grandchildren, Kristen, Johanna “Joey” (John), and Matthew; great-grandchildren; Alana, Annie, Max, Charlie and Alex; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by Phil and her parents.
A private family celebration of life will be held at Oak Grove Cemetery in Chelsea, where her ashes will be laid to rest beside Phil’s. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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