Joanne Haan

HAAN, Joanne
of Kalamazoo, MI Joanne, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, went to be with her Lord and Saviour, Wednesday, October 31, 2012 after a lengthy illness. She was born on October 21, 1933 in Vogel Center, MI, to Tom and Jennie Winkel. Joanne was the fourth child of five and she is survived by her siblings Dick Gert Winkel, Betty Carl DeKam, Harvey Lois Winkel, and Gordon Marilyn Winkel. Joanne met John Haan at a church service in Grand Rapids in 1954 and they were married on September 7, 1956. They moved to Kalamazoo in 1958 where John started a retail appliance store Haan's of Parchment. They were blessed with four precious children, Vicki Lynne Shari Boone, Pamela Sue Leo Nyhof, Karen Joy Ted Gower, Sr. and Gregory John. Joanne's life was devoted to her family and the Haan house was always the "home base" for many of the neighborhood kids, including special family friends, Kevin and Karen Appelgren, who to this day are still considered as family. Although Joanne loved being a mother and a housewife, she decided to start a career after the kids grew up. She went to KVCC in 1981 and graduated in 1982 as a Certified Medical Assistant. She worked for Dr. Ronald Chipps for 20 years. Saturday, March 12, 1983, marked one of the most important days in Joanne's life, as she welcomed their first two grandchildren on the same day-Thomas and Jennifer. Joanne found out that grandchildren were even more fun than children and she loved them beyond words. Before long, she had also become "Gram" to Heather, Travis, Justin, David, Amber, Jared, Tori, Jonathan, Allyssa and Brianna. Some of the most special family traditions were the family Thanksgiving dinners, the Christmas parties and the "Snowstorm" parties where the first hint of a major snowstorm brought the whole family over to Gram's for homemade ice cream and homemade donuts. For years, many of the family headed over to Gram's house every Sunday for dinner after church. God, in His loving wisdom, saw how much Joanne loved her grandchildren and chose to bless her with eight wonderful great-grandchildren. She became "Grandma Joji" to Isabella, Morgan, Austin, Colton, Gavin, Emma, Alanna and Landon and her love for all of them was unsurpassed. The year 2007 was a very difficult time in Joanne's life as she lost two of her children, Greg and Vicki, both very unexpectedly. The love of her family and the amazing grace of God enabled her to go on in the wake of these tragedies. As she faced her final months of illness, she looked forward to the day that she would be reunited with her children in Heaven. Joanne's life was centered around her faith in God's love and she clung to the verse in Isaiah 40:31 that says, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Her family rejoices that she has been released from the confusion and turmoil that had taken over her mind with progressive dementia. They give thanks for the years of love that we were able to share with her. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 3, at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 S. 9th Street, where friends may visit with the family from 10 a.m. until the time of service. A luncheon at the funeral home will be served immediately following the service.