Joan was born May 4, 1933, in Clintonville, Wisconsin, a daughter of the late George and May (Geise) Jackson. She attended elementary school in Clintonville and later attended Ashland High School. On May 6, 1950, she was united in marriage to John S. Emerson. The couple lived in various communities throughout Wisconsin before settling in Shawano in 1958, where they raised their five children.
Joan worked as an aide at Lincoln School. She later earned her CNA. In 1969, she began working toward her LPN, graduating in 1970. Joan worked at Shawano Hospital and Evergreen Nursing Center in Shawano as an LPN. When she and John moved to Nevada, Joan worked in Carson City. The couple returned to Shawano in 1994. They helped launch SAFPARC in Shawano, where Joan volunteered until 2010. Her husband preceded her in death on February 1, 2015.
Joan is a member of Shawano United Methodist Church (The Church on the Hill) where she held many offices and volunteered extensively. She was a devoted wife to John, her husband of 64 years, and a supportive and caring mother to her four sons and her daughter. Her greatest joy was keeping a tidy home, serving three square meals a day for her family, and keeping the cookie jar full. She enjoyed reading, knitting, sewing, and cooking. Joan entertained and loved her extended family.
She will live in the hearts of her three children, John (Beverly) Emerson of Old Town, Maine, Michael (Marty) Emerson and Lynn Emerson, both of Shawano; nine grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; six brothers and one sister; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by two sons, Patrick (Terese) Emerson in 1976, and Steven Emerson in 2013; as well as her brother, Edmund, and her sister, Dorothy.
A Memorial Service for Joan F. Emerson will be held on Friday, October 5, 2018, at 11:00 AM at Shawano United Methodist Church. Mr. Jim Campbell will officiate. Interment will be at the Graceland Cemetery, Clintonville. Visitation will begin at the church at 10:00 AM and continue until the hour of service. In lieu of flowers and plants, memorials are preferred to SAFPARC in the name of Joan Emerson.
Mickelson Funeral & Cremation Service of Shawano is assisting the family with arrangements. Please share online condolences at www.mickelsonfs.com.
“The family would like to thank ThedaCare at Home Hospice for their special care, and to the Shawano Police Department for their assistance.”
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