Joanne Carolyn Kremer

Joanne Carolyn Kremer, age 88, of Wheaton, MN, passed away Sunday, May 28, 2023, at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, MN, from an intestinal blood clot that was a surgical emergency of which she declined due to her advanced heart condition.  A Celebration of Life service for Joanne will be held Tuesday, June 27, at 11:00 a.m. at Ave Maria Catholic Church in Wheaton.

Joanne was born to Peter and Lizzie Balkan on October 10, 1934, in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She grew up in Hillsboro, North Dakota. Following her high school graduation, she attended St. Joseph’s School of Nursing where she earned her Registered Nurse (RN) degree. Joanne worked in Denver, Colorado, and later returned to Hillsboro where she met and married William Kremer, publisher of the Hillsboro Banner weekly newspaper.  The couple later moved with their family to Osakis, MN, and then settled down in Wheaton, MN.

Joanne worked as an RN at the Wheaton Community Hospital while raising a family of eight children. Later in her career she decided to become the Wheaton School nurse where she cared for thousands of children during her 17 years of service to the school district.

Joanne was a very loving and caring person who loved life, family, and helping others in her community. Following her tenure as a school nurse, Joanne took on the responsibility of overseeing the Wheaton Meals-On-Wheels program for many years.

Joanne enjoyed being an active member in the local Garden Club. She was also involved in the local Hospital Auxiliary, and was a former member of the Red Hats ladies organization and Wheaton Women Jaycees. Joanne was a very active member of the Ave Maria Catholic church, teaching Sunday school classes for decades. 

One of Joanne’s greatest pleasures in life was gardening and growing a multitude of plants, flowers, and roses in her yard. Joanne spent an endless number of hours each year planting, weeding, feeding, and nurturing her plants and flowers. She took great pride in sharing her knowledge about plants and flowers to others. Joanne could grow anything.

Joanne also enjoyed doing many different types of craft projects, particularly painted craft projects that enhanced her many backyard flower gardens.

 Joanne was a very involved and wonderful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a great supporter of all, and the biggest fan to all her children and their families. She is going to be greatly missed by her family and all her friends who she so dearly loved.

Joanne is survived by her children: Bill Kremer Jr. (Gayle) of Savage, MN, and their children Billy and Danny; Beth Kolles (Tom) of Edina, MN, and their children Emily, Katie, and Michael; Mike Kremer (Kathi) of Wheaton, MN, and their children Kalli, Jadyn, and Kyle; Jim Kremer (Barb) of St. Louis Park, MN, and their children Ben, Elizabeth, and Emma; Barb Kremer and her husband Mike Webb of San Antonio, TX; Kristi Goss (Gordy) of Edina, MN, and their children Sophie, Nora, Joe, and Rob Clarkowski; Jennifer Spicer (Peter) of Alameda, CA, and their children Eli and Lucy; 9 great-grandchildren; and her dachshund companion Frankie.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Ave Maria Catholic Church in Wheaton on June 27 at 11:00 a.m. with Father John Paul Knopik and Father Stanley Wieser Celebrants. Visitation will be one hour before the mass at the church. A family visitation will also be held Monday, June 26, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the church, along with a Time-To-Share-Memories and Prayer Service at 6:30 p.m. The visitation is open to the public.

Honorary urn bearers at Joanne’s Celebration of Life service will be her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Joanne was preceded in death and will be greeted in heaven by her husband, Bill, and their daughter, Lisa. May God bless Joanne and all those individuals whose lives have been touched by this beautiful mom and grandmother.

Memorials are preferred and can be sent to the Wheaton Community Meals on Wheels program, in care of the Wheaton Senior Citizen Diner.