Phyllis "Joy" (Helge) Schroeder

Phyllis "Joy" Helge was born on July 27, 1932, in St. Louis, Missouri to Mr. and Mrs. Erich Fred Helge (Philippine Bertha Groh). Joy married Roy Philip Schroeder of Caro, Michigan on June 4,1955. They gave birth to six children: Paul (1956), Stephanie (1957), Deborah (1959), Christine (1961), Suzanne (1964), and John (1970), as well as 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

While growing up Joy was exposed to the art world in many ways. Her mother designed hats for the wealthy ladies of St. Louis. Her father was a plant designer for the Jewel Box in Forest Park. Her grandfather was a woodworking artisan, and her great-grandfather was an architect.

Joy would say she couldn’t remember a time when she was not drawing. When she was very small her mother would sit her in front of a window and ask, “Do you see that squirrel? Draw it.” She never stopped drawing and every time something good happened in her art life, she raised a glass of wine to her mother in honor of everything she sacrificed for her, and her art career. In addition to drawing, Joy loved handmade paper, as well as other media and “found” materials. Most of her papermaking was done outdoors on her deck with her swimsuit and her hose. The pulp was hand-dyed and thrown over anything with texture such as bricks, wood, even deer bones.

Joy received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in design from Washington University - St. Louis Missouri. When she wasn’t at Bixby Hall, she was at the St. Louis Art Museum, her home away from home, where she spent countless hours sketching.

Joy’s gift of art was experienced by a vast number of people throughout her life. While evolving from the St. Louis city girl to country wife in Vincennes and Monroeville, Indiana, raising her first two children, she did everything from designing bulletin covers that were used by congregations throughout the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church to diving into abstract silk-screened art pieces. When Joy and Roy moved to Sparta, Michigan she created a contemporary Christian Art Show that ran 40+ years. It was a totally free, high-caliber, juried art exhibit that attracted regional, national and international talent. Four more children were born during those years.

Joy’s artwork came on the heels of many years of serigraphy. She studied with Jim McConnell at Michigan State University (MSU) after Joy and Roy moved to East Lansing. She then studied etching with MSU’s Jim Fagan. She also got hooked on printmaking. Her fascination with printmaking began while studying in Grand Rapids with John Goodyear, internationally known artist at the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum. Joy continued with her printmaking for some 30 years. She also taught Life Drawing at MSU’s Evening College and ran a weekly drop-in Life Drawing Session for artists for some 40 years.

Throughout the years her work was featured in numerous exhibits, several one-man shows, and international shows, such as International Society for Experimental Artists (ISEA) and ArtPrize. Her work hangs globally.

We kids literally grew up in her art studio, otherwise known as our home. We woke up to the smell of ink as she had worked on an art piece overnight, and yet managed to make us a beautiful breakfast. On Sunday mornings we were met with the aroma of her roast in the oven after church and later a five-course dinner complete with scrumptious desserts. And during the week, whenever we were home, she would be singing showtunes throughout the house.

Joy enjoyed her growing family. She enjoyed travelling the world. She also liked keeping current on what was happening in the news, especially sports … and especially her St. Louis Cardinals, MSU Spartans, Rafael Nadal’s tennis career and Tiger Woods.

As has been said by her brother, Erich Helge, “Joy was a beautiful person from birth. She retained that beauty and a warm magnetic personality” until the very end. Joy easily won the hearts of all that she met. She had never known what it was not to have friends.

Joy was preceded in death by her husband, Roy Schroeder, daughter Christine Schroeder, and brother Erich Helge.

Joy leaves behind five children: Paul (Ruth Kunze), Stephanie Clemons-Emerick (Brad Emerick), Deborah Schroeder-Saulnier (Thomas Frase), Suzanne Kulka (Michael Kulka), and John (Katherine Groves), brother Rev. Philip Schroeder (Sharon Schroeder), sister-in-law Barbara Schroeder (Rev. Robert Schroeder), 13 grandchildren, Aaron Schroeder, Luke Schroeder, Jessica Post (Jeff Post), Rebecca Robison (Nathan Robison), Jennifer Stanley, Victoria Clemons (Hayden Harman), Tiffany Kinloch (Aaron Kinloch), Brittany Saulnier, Kyle Kulka (Andrea Kulka), Christian Kulka, Michael Eriksen, Ryan Schroeder, Katelyn Schroeder, and 13 great grandchildren, Remington Post, Isabelle Post, Helen Robison, Simon Robison, Bonnie Ruth Robison, August Robison, Benjamin Robison, Joseph Stanley, Lillian Stanley, Ellie Kinloch, Hannah Kinloch, Kit Kulka, Tripp Kulka; and over 30 nieces and nephews.