Obituary of Joan Warner

Celebration of Life Memorial Service for Joan Warner, 82 of Clarinda, will be 2 p.m. Sunday, September 23, 2018 at Bethesda Lutheran Church. Following the service everyone is invited to the fellowship hall for dessert and coffee. Visitation with the family will be 5-7 p.m. Saturday at Walker-Merrick-Eickemeyer Funeral Chapel. Memorials are suggested to Glenn Miller Birthplace Society, Clarinda, or Bethesda Lutheran Church. Joan Louise (Foster) Warner was born in Shenandoah, IA to parents Boyd and Eva (Cahill) Foster on February 28, 1936. She passed away on September 18, 2018 living 82 years, 6 months and 20 days. Her family moved to Clarinda when she was ten years old to begin Boyd’s Market on 12th Street. Joan was joined by two sisters Judy and Joyce. They became known as the three “Js”. Joan marched in the band and was crowned homecoming queen at Clarinda High School. She graduated in 1955 and was married to high school sweetheart Charles Edward Warner June 24, 1956. She briefly worked as a telephone operator and secretary at Lisle Corporation. Then together she and Charlie lived on the Warner family farm north of Clarinda and raised a family of five children: Chari, Shelly, Tracy, Terry and Cary. Joan was mother to the children full time and pursued gardening, cooking, sewing, and crafting. They were members of the Bethesda Lutheran Church near the farm. When they moved to town in 1984 she converted a small barn on the property into a shop to sell her country crafts. She also was an organizer of the original Farm Bureau Craft Carnival in Clarinda and Shenandoah. The event continues today in Clarinda under new sponsorship. Joan and Charlie liked traveling around the U.S. and abroad. They enjoyed musical performances when they vacationed at Branson, MO and at the Clarinda Glenn Miller Festival. They were long time members of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society. They loved reminiscing with classmates at class reunions. Joan also loved vacationing with her parents, sisters and friends. She and Charlie enjoyed their five grandchildren and later eight great grandchildren. She hosted years of family picnics in the yard and barn, holiday celebrations, and birthdays. Joan loved collecting and decorating with antiques, movies and television, baking and eating sweets, buckeye trees and pansies. Joan was the rock in the family when disease struck Charlie and she became the head of household. As a mother she was deeply devoted to her children. She struggled for many years with lung ailments which took her life. She was preceded in death by her husband Charles, parents Boyd and Eva Foster, parents in law Maude and Anselm Warner, sisters-in-law Maxine Sunderman (Clifford), Roseanna Sunderman and Mary Brownlee, a nephew Van Brownlee, and brother-in-law Mike Kling, aunts Maxine Peterson McKelligan, Betty Maier, Martha Williams, Katherine Rope, Mae Mobley, Leona Harris, Naomi Bloom, uncles Ralph Cahill, Donnie Cahill, and Richard Cahill, She will be missed by those who survive her including children Chari Bix (Mike) of Clarinda, Shelly Warner of Shenandoah, Tracy Warner (Pam) of Clarinda, Terry Warner of Clarinda, and Cary Correll (Milton) of Clarinda; grandchildren Corey Bix of Chicago, IL, Amanda Vardaman (Ben) of Clarinda, step grandson Chris Cook (Erin) of Shenandoah, Megan Elliot (Joe) of Ankeny, Anna Hopkins (Fletcher) of Clarksville, TN; great grandchildren Dylan, Colyn, Evalyn Vardaman, Keegan and Kylea Elliot, Morgan, Ellie, Averie Cook; sisters Judy Euken (Craig) of Red Oak, Joyce Kling of Aplington, IA, brothers-in-law Arlo Sunderman of Clarinda and Bruce Brownlee (Elinor) of Des Moines; an uncle Bill Bloom of Ft. Dodge, IA, also many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.