The concept of faith and medicine being intrinsically linked is not a new idea for Joyce Lillis, MSN, RN. She has always known that science will only get a patient so far; they have to have faith in their caregivers, trust in the healing process, and hope for their future.
“Nursing is an art and science,” Joyce explains. “It’s also very spiritual.”
Faith played an important role in Joyce’s own career. Raised on a small farm in Iowa, Joyce was one of eight children in her family. During her teen years, her mother suffered from a stroke. Joyce took care of her siblings while her mother recovered until her own hospital stay during her senior year after complications from an appendectomy. Staying in the hospital for an extended time introduced Joyce to compassionate care, but it took the faith of a high school counselor to set her on the path to nursing school.
“My dad did not think I needed to go to college because I was a girl and was just going to get married,” Joyce remembers.
After graduating from high school, Joyce enrolled in the University of Iowa’s School of Nursing. She graduated in 1977 with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. That same weekend, she married Terry, her high school sweetheart. The couple were married on a Friday, spent the weekend together at an amusement park, celebrated Catholic Mass on Sunday, and were back to work the following Monday. Joyce attended summer school and later took her licensure exam to become a registered nurse (RN) while pregnant with their first daughter.
As their family grew, so did their faith in each other. Terry worked as a teacher and a basketball coach while Joyce began her nursing career at Kossuth County Hospital in Algona, Iowa. Her commitment to her patients was evidenced by her compassionate care, both medically and emotionally. For Joyce, patient care was not limited to a patient’s medical treatment. She knew that great care started with great people. Patients needed knowledgeable nurses and medical staff in which to place their faith during their difficult medical journeys.
In 1979, Joyce served as a public health administrator with the Iowa County Public Health Agency in
Williamsburg, Iowa, using her bedside experience and knowledge of healthcare to advocate for the welfare of her community. When the Lillis family moved to Des Moines, she took a job as a staff RN at then-Mercy Medical Center while she attended Drake University and earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 1994. She continued to work in a variety of roles at MercyOne before becoming the Mercy Home Care director in 1999. As director, Joyce oversaw over a hundred healthcare professionals at any given time, ensuring staffing needs were met and a high quality of care was maintained.
After 47 years as a professional nurse, Joyce retired from her role as director in 2016. Over the course of her career, she was recognized many times for her dedication to the field and her pursuit of excellence. In 2006, her Mercy Home Care facility was recognized by Home Care Elite, an honor she was also awarded in 2014. Her time as director also saw Mercy Home Care named as CHI Health’s at Home Branch of the Year for 2013. Joyce herself was listed as one of the 100 Great Iowa Nurses in 2014, just two years before she retired.
Retirement did not mean she stepped back from healthcare, however. Joyce has continued to take an active role in promoting nursing education to fill the needs made evident by the national shortage of healthcare workers. Understanding the importance of a Mercy College education, she and Terry established the Joyce E. Lillis Endowed Nursing Scholarship in 2016 to support students pursuing nursing degrees. Following the establishment of the scholarship, Joyce was asked to join the Mercy College Board of Directors, where she has served both as a member and on the executive committee.
In 2024, Joyce was elected Board Chair. She and Terry became founding members of Mercy College’s 1899 Society, a charitable giving circle dedicated to increasing access to state-of-the-art equipment, advanced technology, and other invaluable resources to improve students’ success. The 1899 Society ultimately lead to the launch of the Legacy of Faith Campaign for the Joyce E. Lillis School of Nursing.
Her contributions have left an indelible mark on MercyOne Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences, and the many lives she has touched through her work, volunteerism, and philanthropy.
– Mercy College of Health Sciences President Adreain Henry, OD, EdD, MBA
Joyce currently volunteers as an RN at InnerVisions Healthcare Medical Clinic and Catholic Charities of Southwest Iowa. She and Terry have actively sought out philanthropic endeavors that prioritize initiatives to improve healthcare and education.
“Over the years, we’ve always tried to give our time, treasures, and talents,” Terry explains. “In those early years, it was more our talents and our time. As we’ve progressed and had some success, we had the opportunity to provide a little bit more of our treasures.”
Joyce’s career revolved around serving others with compassion and reverence. She has seen firsthand the difference a good nurse can make in the positive outcomes for patients. She has been that nurse, and she has been responsible for ensuring those nurses are there to inspire faith for their patients.
“I feel like I’m an average nurse,” Joyce states. “But I believe in nursing. I know there aren’t enough nurses in this world, I know that they work very hard. They are the foundation for our healthcare today.”
To learn more about the Legacy of Faith Campaign for the Joyce E. Lillis School of Nursing, please visit our website.
About Mercy College of Health Sciences
Mercy College of Health Sciences is a health sciences specialty school rooted in the Catholic heritage of the Sisters of Mercy. Located in the heart of downtown Des Moines, Iowa, Mercy College offers master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees, certificates, and continuing education courses. Through our unique hands-on learning, unparalleled clinical rotations, and accelerated education offerings, our students are prepared to enter the workforce quickly with the critical skills necessary to make an immediate impact in their chosen healthcare careers. Guided by our Core Values of Knowledge, Reverence, Integrity, Compassion, and Excellence, Mercy College has been transforming students into successful healthcare professionals for 125 years.
