We are so proud of our alumni at Zion Lutheran School Belleville, and we are dedicated to sharing the good news of what our former students are up to these days.  Today we hear from Joyce (Stortzum) Tucker.

Student:
Joyce (Stortzum) Tucker
Hometown:
Belleville, IL
Current residence:
Belleville
Years at Zion:
1943-1951 1st – 8th grade (no Pre-K or K at that time)
Favorite Memory:
Our trip to Springfield to visit Abraham Lincoln’s home and see his statue, etc.
What she has been up to:
After many years as a legal secretary, I retired in 2003. I joined the Linus group at Zion and made some new friends. My husband, Fred, retired in 2010. We took two trips to Florida – one with our daughter, Joy, and the other with Norm, Joy, and Cali. In August, 2020, after nearly 57 years of marriage, God called Fred home. Since we were in the middle of the COVID pandemic, I “sheltered at home” for quite some time. Recently, I’ve been enjoying eating out with family and friends and just enjoying spending time with them. My biggest and most important achievement was raising five great children.
How did your time at ZLS influence you?
Zion Lutheran School gave me a strong foundation of faith. It wasn’t until I got older that I fully understood the power of prayer. I thank God for my Christian parents who gave me a Christian education.
Extra:
All five of my children graduated from ZLS and so did my mother! The difference in Zion between my time there and now is amazing! We had three classrooms. Our gym was the school yard. There were no sports teams, cheerleaders or band. My two younger sisters, Kathy Steinberg and Marilyn Darner, and I walked to and from school every day – and there were no snow days! Zion has come so far!