Obituary: Joanne Nina Beck

Joanne Nina Beck, 87, of Cromwell died peacefully on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Villa Vista Care Center in Cromwell. She was born on Oct. 29, 1936, in Grantsburg, Wisconsin to Sherman and Nina Bergstrom. Joanne grew up in Superior, where she attended school. She worked as a caregiver for her nieces, nephews and her mother, and did some waitressing in her younger years.

On Dec. 18, 1954, Joanne married Roy Beck in Cloquet. They lived in Cromwell, where they dairy farmed and raised Newfoundland dogs with her brother-in-law Julius Beck. Joanne was an amazingly patient mother and homemaker and kept very busy raising nine children. Her family in Superior and the Grantsburg area were very important to her, and she would make frequent trips to visit them, as well as yearly Memorial Day trips to family cemeteries to place flowers on family graves.

She had a great love for polka music and played the accordion and also had an interest in the harmonica and piano. Joanne loved the color red, flowers, dolls, bead necklaces, reading the bible and holding her babies. She enjoyed genealogy and researching her Swedish heritage.

She was well-known for her generosity and being extremely friendly, and would even strike up conversations with complete strangers, often ending up showing them several of her treasured photos to complete her story.

In later years, Joanne enjoyed her trips to the casino, where there were many people to visit with. In her final years, she made many friends at the Villa Vista assisted nursing facility.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Roy; two sons, Jeffrey and Sherman; granddaughter Autumn; parents, Sherman and Nina Bergstrom; and eight siblings and their spouses, Elaine Howes, June Radis, Byron Bergstrom, Myron Bergstrom, Reuben Bergstrom, Betty Bierd, Maye Nelson-Shea, and Donna Nelson; Roy's parents, Andrew and Alma Beck; Roy's brothers, sisters and their spouses, Sulo (Ilma) Beck, Julius Beck, Helia Paananen, Hulda (Wayne) Huhta, Robert (Lorraine) Beck, Doris (Unto) Kahara, and June (Norman) Hill.

Joanne will be lovingly remembered by her surviving seven children, Judith (Arne) Isaacson, Roylee (Brenda) Beck, Andrew Beck, Darla (Rodney) Houck, Nina (Jon) Ford, Daniel Beck, and Sonia Beck-Johnson; 10 grandchildren, Amy (Tony) Willert, Sherry (Naquan) Woodard, Nick Beck, Cory (Kelli) Schleret, Megan Beck, Ryan (Taryn) Beck, Dyana (Nahin) Gatica Cruz, Jennifer (Jordan) Zwick, Sunny Beck, and Terry Beehler; 11 great-grandchildren, Taylar, Johanna "JoJo", Keshaun, Tyrone, Riley, Aiden, Jorge "Robert", Christopher, Emily, Jack and Isabel; two daughters-in-law, Cindy Beck and Hyecha Beck; brother Lloyd (Mary) Bergstrom; sister Bea Lenneman; sister-in-law, Lorraine Beck; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

Services were held Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Bethany Lutheran Church, with burial in Eagle Lake Cemetery in Cromwell. The family would like to thank the staff at Villa Vista for their wonderful care of Joanne over the past few years.

Arrangements by Hamlin-Hansen-Kosloski Funeral Home of Moose Lake.

Pine Knot News, Dec. 8, 2023