Joan M. Wiegreffe, nee Meyer, 85, of Waterloo, IL, passed away peacefully the morning of Saturday, January 1, 2022 after a courageous fight against cancer. She was born on July 24, 1936 in Belleville, IL to Milton and Dorothy , nee Germain, Meyer and was known as an independent, charismatic woman with a great love for family and friends, as well as for helping others.
Joan graduated Belleville West High School in 1954 and married the love of her life, Charles “Charlie” Wiegreffe, in May of 1955. They had a daughter, Barbara Anne, nee Wiegreffe, Gerstenecker in 1959. Joan lived in Belleville her entire life before moving to Waterloo with Charlie in 1997 to be closer to their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters.
Throughout her life, Joan enjoyed holding roles that encouraged her to learn, including those at Mager Supply, WIBV Radio and Dugan and Carls Radiology. Joan also held a part-time role serving the St. Paul Evangelical Burial Park, a job from which she recently retired in December of 2020. In addition, she was part of several volunteer and community organizations, including Relay for Life, a breast cancer survivor group, and Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP). Always outgoing, she made lifelong friends at each job and group she joined.
Beyond her work, Joan enjoyed reading books, watching movies, sewing, and traveling. A lover of the outdoors and nature, gardening was another favorite pastime. She also gathered with friends often to play cards.
But her favorite thing to do was spend time with family. And if she wasn’t with them, she was proudly boasting about them to anyone who would listen. She enjoyed taking her granddaughters, Kara, nee Gerstenecker, Schmid and Alyssa Gerstenecker, on adventures, and loved being ” Grandma J”. This past year, her favorite moments were those spent with her new great grandson, Joseph D. Schmid, who she called “Baby J”.
Joan will be fondly remembered by all for her resilience, her independence, and -most importantly- her ability to love, always.
Joan was a member of St. Paul United Church of Christ in Waterloo.
She was preceded in death by her:
- Husband, Charles T. Wiegreffe
- Parents, Milton and Dorothy nee Germain, Meyer
- Brother-in-law, Don Baldus
Surviving are her:
- Daughter, Barbara A. (Darryl) Gerstenecker of Columbia, IL
- Grandchildren:
- Kara (Joe) Schmid
- Alyssa Gerstenecker
- Great grandson, Joseph “Baby J” Schmid
- Sister, Nancy Baldus of O’Fallon, IL
- Special niece, Pam (Dennis) Jenkins
- Other nieces, nephews and cousins and special cousin, Jane Meredith of Bloomington
Memorials: Memorials may be made to St. Paul United Church of Christ in Waterloo, IL or (BCRF)-Breast Cancer Research Fund; give.berf.org.
Visitation: Visitation from 2-5:00 pm, Friday, January 7th, 2022 at Kurrus Funeral Home, in Belleville, IL.
COVID-19 restrictions will be followed, masks required, and social distancing.
Funeral: Memorial Service will be held at 5:00 pm, Friday, January 7th, 2022 at Kurrus Funeral Home, with Pastor Jeff McCarn officiating. Private family interment at a later date.
2 Comments To "Joan M. Wiegreffe"
#1 Comment By Tom Calhoun On January 8, 2022 @ 10:29 am
Joanie was a dear fellow employee of both myself and wife Barb at WIBV radio. We always enjoyed our time with Joan and Charlie. We had many away-from-work social times to share with them..particularly our WIBV softball “All-Stars” who would play various civic group teams. Of course, we would get together for an adult beverage or two after those games. Joan and Charlie were always fun to be around. And Joan was a great colleague at the radio station. Our sincere condolences to the family.
Tom and Barb Calhoun
#2 Comment By Barb Gerstenecker On January 11, 2022 @ 8:19 am
Thanks Tom and Barb. I remember those days well and always looked forward to watching the games and visiting the Radio Station. That was such a fun group of employees. She enjoyed working there and all the social events.