JoAnn Wilson

JoAnn Wilson was born October 24, 1935 in New Virginia, Iowa, to Helen (Cronin) Wilson and Lloyd (Slim) Wilson. She attended elementary school in New Virginia until the family moved to Osceola during World War II. She earned money for college by working on farms near Ft. Dodge and at JC Penny in Osceola.

JoAnn earned an elementary teaching certificate at Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, later completing her degree at the University of Omaha. For 41 years she taught 4th and 5th grade at Walnut Grove Elementary School in Council Bluffs. In 1977 she was named Council Bluffs Teacher of the Year.

Upon retiring in 1997, JoAnn returned to Osceola where she volunteered in the elementary school and at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church. She also frequently drove senior citizens to doctors appointments in Osceola and Des Moines. In 2023 JoAnn moved to Lincoln, NE at the invitation of her two nieces and a nephew who live there. She passed away at her home there on February 21.

JoAnn was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Jack (New London), her sisters-in-law Joyce and Mary (New London), her sister Linda Denton (Creston), and her nephew Robert A Denton (Creston). She is survived by her brother-in-law Robert F Denton (Osceola), nieces Laura Baker and husband Rich (West Des Moines), Leasa Hoefling and husband Ed (St. Joseph, MO), Diane Wilson and wife Kay Richter (Lincoln, NE), Janet OBrien and husband Jerry (Lincoln, NE), nephews Dave Wilson and husband David Smith (Lincoln, NE) and Michael Wilson and wife Marjorie (Coral Springs, FL), and 8 grandnieces and grandnephews.

A memorial service will be held at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Osceola Saturday March 1, 2025 at 11:00 AM with burial following at Maple Hill Cemetery. A live stream of the service will be available at www.kalefuneralhome.com on JoAnn’s tribute wall beginning at 11:00 AM, Saturday. The family will greet friends from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Friday, February 28, 2025 at Kale Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be directed to St Bernard Catholic Church or Osceola Senior Citizens Center. Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.kalefuneralhome.com