 Joan
Judith Reinke, age 69, of Wisconsin Dells passed away At the
Golden Living Center on Tuesday, March 16, after a long
battle with Pick�s Disease. Joan was born on November 28,
1940 to Carl and Ruth Eng of Clintonville. Joan attended the
University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh where she earned a
Bachelor of Science degree in music with a minor in geology.
Joan married William (Bill) Reinke, whom she had known since
high school, on July 3, 1964. They were blessed with one
son, Karl, in 1968.
Joan was a multi faceted person with numerous talents
from hunting to woodworking. Joan believed she could learn
to do anything she wanted to do and when she made up her
mind that she was going to do something she usually
succeeded. For a time she played the violin and viola semi
professionally with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra.
Anyone living in the Kaukauna area would have seen Joan in
the country taking her daily two mile walks with one of her
Labrador Retrievers. She was also choir director for
Kaukauna United Methodist Church and later bell choir
director for Appleton United Methodist church. Joan was
diagnosed with Dementia in 2003 and after living a short
time with Karl and Sandy, was placed at the Villa Pines
Living Center with Bill in Adams in 2005. Joan was later
diagnosed with Pick�s Disease, a rare and severe
neurological form of dementia.
Joan will be most remembered walking the halls of Villa
Pines while singing old hymns that she had memorized. In the
final stages of the disease the hymns, and the love she had
for her Son and his family, seemed to be what kept her
going. Later she was moved to the Alzheimer�s care unit at
Golden Living center in Wisconsin Dells. Here she met some
remarkable, loving people who helped care fore her in her
darkest hour. Special thanks are extended to Millie and her
people for not only helping to care for Joan but also her
family and grandchildren.
Joan�s last gift to others is in donating her brain to
the UW/VA Brain Bank of Wisconsin for study into this
devastating disease. The disease may have robbed Joan of her
many talents, but it never took her spirit, as she outlived
the disease for years longer than expected.
Joan is survived by her son, Karl
(Sandy), as well as her two loving grandsons, Gunnar and
Garrett. Her brother, James Eng, SR (Pat) of Appleton. Her
sister in law, Barbara (Barry) Nimz, brother-in-law, Richard
(Marti) Reinke, several nieces and nephews, other family,
and friends.
A memorial gathering will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00p.m
on Friday, March 19, 2010 at the Roseberry's Funeral Home in
Friendship, Wisconsin. Pastor Sam Downey will officiate.
Interment will be at the Graceland Cemetery, in
Clintonville, Wisconsin at a later date.
The family requests that donations be made to the brain
bank of Wisconsin, so that others may benefit from the loss
of Joan.
Joan, rest, nobody can ever say that you were weak, or
that you gave up when the chips were down. You taught so
many people about strength and courage in the face of
adversity, now is your time to rest and enjoy life at it�s
best.
|
View
Guestbook
or Send Your Condolences Now |
