M. Joan Hermann's Obituary
Joan Hermann, 79, passed away on Monday, August 31, 2020. Born in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of the late Harry and Isabelle (Hopkins) Parent. She was a graduate of New Haven High School where she enjoyed cheerleading & drama. She married her high school sweetheart, Dale, and lived a blessed life together in New Haven for 61 years. She was a member of Emanual Lutheran Church, New Haven, where she & Dale taught Sunday school, sang in the choir and surrounded themselves with faithful friends for life. She was a strong supporter of Compassion International and participated actively in Bible Study groups such as Bethel, BSF, and countless small group studies.
Joan so loved her family and friends. A lifelong partner to Dale, together they built a beautiful marriage carrying them on a joyous and committed ride through life’s highs & lows. She loved her four children beyond measure and set a shining example for them in all respects. They were blessed to have a mom who welcomed and loved on all their friends. Her time with her grandchildren was precious & filled with unforgettable fun like building the “cool cousins playhouse” each summer or leading them in the “Fast Dance” or singing her favorite “Zip-A-Dee-Doo Dah” and “I Feel Pretty” songs as well as a multitude of other festive activities. Joan treasured her time with friends. Whether hosting card parties with her bridge group or New Year’s Eve gatherings with infamous “white elephant” exchanges, all looked forward to their get-togethers.
Joan loved life and found joy and meaning in all she did. She lived each day to the fullest and found ways to do it all. Whether it was taking care of 10,000 chickens on the family farm, coordinating our crazy, disorganized household or managing and building the office & IT structure for her brother’s Fort Wayne Ophthalmology practice for over 25 years – it was always done well with passion and love.
Sadly, due to Alzheimer’s, we have not seen the real Joan in recent years. Happily, we have a lifetime of memories of her to bring us joy along with the comfort of knowing she is now with our Father in Heaven…helping Him organize festivities for a future reunion with us all!
She is survived by her husband Dale; children, Chadd, Conn (Connie), and Curt (Lylian) Hermann, and Kristen (Ray) Mendenhall; siblings, Dr. Rex (Connie) Parent and Jill (Jay) Howell; grandchildren, Andrew (Laila), Lyndsey (Matt) Stein, Megan, Kendall, Amanda, Alexandra, Isabelle, and Abygail Hermann. Jake, Luke (Kory), Kate, and Mitchell Mendenhall; and great grandchildren, Ella and Ady Stein. She is also preceded in death by her daughter-in-law, Heather Hermann, and her sister and brother-in-law Beth (Tom) Bohlsen.
Memorial graveside service is 12 p.m. September 12, 2020 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Cemetery, 7710 E. State Blvd., Fort Wayne with visitation two hours prior to service. Rev. Paul Shoemaker officiating. Masks requested. Burial in St. Peter’s Lutheran Cemetery, Fort Wayne. In lieu of flowers preferred memorial to Emanuel Lutheran Church or Alzheimer’s Association http://act.alz.org/goto/JoanHermannMemorials. Arrangements by Harper’s Community Funeral Home, 740 St. Rd. 930 E., New Haven. For online condolences, please visit www.harperfuneralhome.com.
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