JoAnn Marie Onnen (Thorland) passed away August 18, 2022, after a long, courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. JoAnn was born July 1,1946, in Forest City, Iowa, and into the grace-filled Christian home of Rodney Harold and Geneva Marie (Reines) Thorland, on a farm in Thompson, Iowa. She attended Bethany Lutheran Church with her family, including her brothers Eddie and Rodney. In 1968 she graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. JoAnn was joined in marriage to Tony Onnen on June 13, 1970. Tony and JoAnn enjoyed more than 52 years of growing in God’s grace together. Tony treasured JoAnn’s wisdom, intelligence, and listening ear.
JoAnn was foremost a teacher. She first taught in the Minneapolis school district in the 1960s, and then taught kindergarten and first grade in Cokato (including a time where she taught in a one-room school house!) She loved teaching her own children how to read, cook, develop their own opinions on any topic, make their own decisions as they got older, and let them know that it would be okay even when they failed.
She later was blessed by the opportunity to teach children at Lambs Christian Daycare in Cokato. JoAnn left that teaching role when her granddaughter Gracie was born. Gracie had lots of extra needs due to the health issues that often accompany Down Syndrome, and JoAnn counted it a privilege to provide daycare for Gracie and later on Tysen, Amelia, and Cole. She followed that by helping provide child-care for her granddaughters, Sophia, Corinne, and Naomi. She was in Africa to be with Esther, Maria, and Elayna when Timmy was born. She spear-headed a project to turn her basement into an apartment where she has hosted missionary families and others who were dear to her. During her fight with cancer, nothing gave her greater joy than the countless visits from all of her children and grandchildren, including her four newest and youngest, Harley, Haylee, Stevie, and Leona.
Woven throughout her teaching of her children, grandchildren, and all of her students at Lambs, were lessons of God’s love for each of us – that He sent His own Son to die for our sins so that we might be saved. Nothing mattered more to JoAnn than that those she taught and loved would come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.
JoAnn was a good friend to those around her. She grew closer to the Lord with her friends – and in particular, friends who did Bible Studies together in the 80’s and up until the weeks before her death. When around her college friends, cousins, or sisters-in-law, she was instantly a 20-year-old girl again, giggling and mischievous. An avid football, basketball, and baseball fan, it was best to be a few feet away from her during a game so that you didn’t suffer hearing loss from her loud cheers.
Since 1985, JoAnn enjoyed worship and fellowship with dear friends at Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church in Cokato, MN. She found comfort and strength here throughout life’s joys and sorrows.
JoAnn was preceded in death by her mother and father, her brother Edward, her nephew Gregg, and a child she lost to miscarriage.
JoAnn is survived by her husband Tony, her children Jennifer (Jeromie), Kristin (Paul), Matthew (Rosemary), Ruth (Steven) and Lori (Matthew), as well as several grandchildren: Grace, Tysen, Amelia, and Cole; Esther, Maria, Elayna, and Timothy; Haylee, Harley, and Steven; Sophia, Corinne, Naomi, and Leona; her sister-in-law Darla, her brother Rod and his wife Lynda, and nieces and nephews Erik (Nicole), Jon (Kati), Jamie (Brian) , and Joel (Amber), as well as grand-nieces and nephews.
The family is working to be able to present any memorials received to the Virginia Piper Cancer Center Buffalo, MN, in JoAnn’s name.
A funeral service will take place at 11:00 AM on Saturday, August 27, 2022 at Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church in Cokato. Visitation will be from 4-8 on Friday 8/26 and continue 1 hour prior to services on Saturday, all at the church. Arrangements by Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home of Cokato, www.swansonpeterson.com, 320-286-2534
A funeral service will take place at 11:00 AM on Saturday, August 27, 2022 at Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church in Cokato. Visitation will be from 4-8 on Friday 8/26 and continue 1 hour prior to services on Saturday, all at the church. Arrangements by Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home of Cokato, www.swansonpeterson.com, 320-286-2534