Joanne Schwan

Click here to watch Joanne's liturgical wake service.

Click here to watch Joanne's Mass of Christian burial .

Joanne Schwan, 70, of Aberdeen, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 29, 2017, following a two-year, courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

Mass of Christian burial will be 1:30 p.m., Thursday, August 3, 2017, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 409 2nd Avenue NE, Aberdeen, with Father Michael Griffin as celebrant.

Burial will take place St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary & Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements. Friends may sign Joanne’s online guestbook and also view her service via the live stream service link at www.schriversmemorial.com.

Visitation will be 5-7 p.m., Wednesday, at the mortuary, with a liturgical wake service beginning at 7:00 p.m.  Visitation continues one hour prior to Mass at the church on Thursday.

Joanne was born in Aberdeen, SD, on February 7, 1947.  She was the fourth of ten children born to Joseph and Elizabeth (Baumgartner) Holzer.  Joanne attended grade school and junior high at Sacred Heart School and graduated from Aberdeen Central High School in 1965.

On May 8, 1965, Joanne married her soul mate, Frank (or as she called him, “Franklin”) Schwan.  They made their home in Aberdeen and were blessed with two daughters, Sandy and Cristie.

Joanne stayed home to raise their daughters while they were young.  In 1978, when they were older, she went to work for Control Data and worked there for several years.  She later went to work for Sheldahl and Banner.  Joanne retired from Banner in 2012.

Joanne valued her family and friends and especially enjoyed spending time and doing things with and for them.  She was very generous with her time and talents.  Joanne was an excellent cook and baker.  Her German rice dressing, pickled beets, dill pickles, and special chocolate chip cookies were everyone’s favorite at family gatherings.  When asked why her cookies were so special and tasted much better than anyone else’s, she said she always adds a secret ingredient to them – Love!

Joanne enjoyed traveling, walking and bicycling with her family and, in her retirement, delivering meals for the Senior Meals Program.  Although she was a quiet, shy, person, she inspired all those she met and led by example.

Joanne will be greatly missed by her husband of 52 years, Frank Schwan of Aberdeen; daughters:  Sandy (Corey) Vosika of Warner, SD and Cristie (Ralph) Chavez of Phoenix, AZ; granddaughter, Rachel (Matt) Deutsch of Eden, SD; grandson, Christopher (Erin) Vosika of Aberdeen; great-grandsons:  Dekker and Mason Vosika and Weston Deutsch; her mother, Elizabeth Larsen of Aberdeen; brothers:  Jim (Marilyn) Holzer of Minneapolis, MN and Larry Holzer of Fargo, ND; sisters:  Isabella Walters of Corona, CA, Sally (Joe) Hanson of Pierre, SD, Pat Berger of Aberdeen, Mary Cose of Fargo, ND and Betty Even of Aberdeen and their families; as well as special friend, Judy Bitz.

Joanne was preceded in death by her father, Joseph Holzer; stepfather, Wendell Larsen; sister, Caecila Zens; brother, Robert Holzer; and niece, Jennifer Walsh.