Joann Loppnow

Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother, Joann Loppnow, age 83, of Lake City lost her battle with cancer on March 12, 2024 with her husband, Richard by her side.

Joann was a vibrant, energetic person who never seemed to sit still for long. She enjoyed a wide variety of jobs during her lifetime and was a hairdresser before marrying Richard. But she gave up that career to become a wonderful mother to four children.

During their 64 years of marriage, Joann and Richard had many adventures. Perhaps the biggest adventure was the leap of faith they took moving from Rock Dell to a farm outside Zumbro Falls. Joann embraced farm life. She enjoyed gardening, knitting, crocheting, crafting, canning and cooking and did her best to pass those skills on to her children and grandchildren.

Joann’s faith was very important to her and she was involved in many aspects of her church. She shined brightest when she was spreading joy to other people. Joann was active in her church’s women’s group, helped organize weddings, funerals, and fundraisers. She used her crocheting and knitting talents to make many prayer shawls, hats, and scarves for the women’s group to donate to needy individuals. Joann was an active participate in the church prayer chain and was frequently the sounding board or shoulder for others to lean on. Giving her time and self to help others was a passion.

Joann was also very passionate about her family and went that extra mile to ensure family gatherings were always full of fun, food, and laughter. Easter egg hunts, birthday celebrations, Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings, and even informal meals were an opportunity to share favorite dishes and laugh together. She gained great joy through seeing her family happy, talking with all her children and grandchildren whenever possible and always said “yes” to babysitting.

Many students at the Zumbrota Dance Studio also called Joann “grandma” as she was the studio’s biggest fan. Whether it was stitching costumes, selling tickets, or cheering loud from the audience, students and teachers could always count on Grandma Jo to be there when they needed her no matter what. Joann was never more than a phone call away when anyone needed help and she touched many lives during her 83 years.

Joann was preceded in death by 6 brothers and 1 sister and is survived by her husband; 4 children, Robyn (Brian) Hoven, Renee (Mark) Stanchfield, Rann (Val) Loppnow and Risa (Bryan) Deitner; 9 grandchildren; and 7 great-grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held from 10:30am to noon on April 20, 2024, at the Redeeming Grace Community Church in Lake City. In the spirit of Joann’s giving personality and in lieu of flowers, we ask that you please direct any memorials to Eagle’s Cancer Telethon (www.eaglescancertelethon.org) of Rochester, MN for cancer research.