Joan Wright

Joan Marie Wright, 82, of Boone, formerly of Jefferson, passed away from a lengthy illness Monday, Feb. 13, 2023 at Eastern Star Masonic Home in Boone. She was born on Jan. 20, 1941 in Lake City, the daughter of Don and Verona (Pierson) Calhoun.

She attended school in Lohrville until her family moved to Albert City where she played basketball and graduated in 1959. After graduation, she moved to Des Moines where she worked at Banker’s Life Insurance Company. She returned closer to home to work at a bank in Storm Lake where she met her future husband. On June 19, 1965, she married Don Wright in Dallas Center, IA. 

Throughout her life, Joan held a variety of jobs including manager of the Sport Shack, sorter for Chicago Rivet, cook for Jefferson Community Schools, ward clerk at the Greene County Hospital and loving babysitter to many. Her favorite role, however, was “G’ma J”. She was fiercely devoted to her grandchildren and loved to follow their sports and activities throughout their school years and even learned to use Facebook and Zoom to stay in touch with them. 

In her free time she enjoyed watching sports, shopping online, sports betting online, and spending time with her family. Any televised sporting event was an opportunity to throw a party by grilling or ordering out. She was an avid Elvis Presley fan and had collected extensive memorabilia. 

She was preceded in death by her parents. Survivors include her husband of 57 years, Don; three children: Randy Wright of Jefferson, Kelly (Mark) Olson of Ogden, Mike (Kim) Wright of Clive; five grandchildren: Kassidy (Earl) Felder of Las Vegas, Nevada, Kadyn (Branden Anderson) Hutchinson of Bethel, Minnesota, Brooklynn Olson of Boone, Megan Wright of Urbandale, and Jordan (Eric) Olsen of Clive; three great grandchildren: Austin Felder, Selah Olsen, and Uriah Olsen; 2 sisters: Carolyn (Norm) Anderson of California and Barb (Rod) Ketelsen of Nebraska.

A memorial service was held Feb. 18 at the funeral home. Interment will be held at a later date at the Jefferson Cemetery. 

Services were arranged by Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home in Jefferson.