Joan Marie Seeman Neeno
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Joan Neeno, cherished wife of Dr. Katsumi Neeno, died peacefully in her Janesville home on November 3, 2022.
Joan Marie Seeman was born on October 6, 1930, the third daughter of Marie Ellen (n?e Britt) and Robert Bernard Seeman, who had a small farm outside of Janesville. Throughout her life Joan described herself as a farm girl at heart. She fondly remembered riding ponies in the country with her oldest sister, Mary. Unfortunately, their middle sister, Bertha died at the age of 5 in 1932.
Joan's mother Marie followed Bertha in death in 1936 after contracting scarlet fever. Joan was 6 years old. Being older, Mary stayed on the farm to help Robert, while Joan spent time in the loving homes of her aunts Gertrude, Bertha, Winifred, and Lucy. This brought Joan and her dear cousin Joyce together, a delightful comradery that would last all her life.
When Robert married Beth Carlson in 1937, Joan returned to the family farm. Soon she was helping the disabled Beth care for her beloved stepsiblings: Judy, Julie, Karen, Robert, and David. The farm and her family set in Joan an appreciation of hard work and Wisconsin farmers, a nurturing that would shape her career and life, and a desire for new places and experiences.
After graduating from Janesville High School, Joan attended Madison's Methodist Hospital School of Nursing, from which she received an RN in 1951. Her family couldn't afford bus fare, but her school matched her with her "Madison parents": Mildred and Richard Campbell. Joan spent many special occasions with the Campbells, and they became family, serving as grandparents to Joan and Katsumi's children. Mildred and Joan referred to themselves as mother and daughter, and the Campbells were beloved members of the Neeno family until their passings.
Joan excelled at nursing and soon was head nurse of the pediatric-surgical ward of Methodist Hospital, which is now UnityPoint Health - Meriter. There she met a bright young Pediatric intern named Katsumi Neeno. On the night of June 11, 1955, in the glow of candlelight, Joan and Katsumi married, surrounded by white and yellow daisies and the people they loved.
The couple moved to Akron, OH, where Katsumi completed his Pediatric residency while wearing dress shirts sewn by Joan. They then lived in a small Chicago apartment with Tsuneko and Shosaku Neeno, Katsumi's parents, as he studied for his medical board exams. In 1957, they moved back to Wisconsin so Katsumi could work as a Pediatrician at the Pember-Nuzum clinic in downtown Janesville and they could be close to Joan's family.
Having been a remarkable nurse, Joan then became an outstanding mother. Along with her 5 children, she helped raise an infant nephew and several foster children. At one point, Joan cared for a five-year old and 3 younger children in diapers. When asked how she managed, Joan would laugh and say that it wasn't difficult to do what she loved. When speaking with his children, Katsumi would often refer to Joan as "your sainted mother," and she indeed exhibit a near-beatific kindness, patience, and joy in tending to others.
This included caring for those in her community. Joan was a tireless volunteer for many decades. She was the first president of the Harrison Elementary School PTO, and an elm tree grows in front of the school in her honor. She was involved in her children's education throughout the years, from helping one child with fractions, measuring cups in hand, to bringing giant urns of hot chocolate for the Parker High School band on cold football nights.
Joan had a lifelong concern for those struggling or left behind, and this translated into action. With the support and encouragement of Katsumi, she began volunteering with the Rock Country Salvation Army in the 1960s. She would continue working tirelessly for the Army for more than 30 years. She was a lifetime member of the Advisory board, beginning in 1968 and serving terms as its president. She help found the Women's Auxiliary in 1985 and was its first president. In 1994, while at a national women's convention, she had an idea to raise funds for the Army through a craft sale. The sale is now in its 28th year, and Joan was its leader until 2016.
She worked year-round on the fabric sale, and her basement would fill up with boxes of fabric she had cleaned, folded, and sorted in preparation for the sale. Piles of fabric, yarn, and notions would appear on her doorstep at all hours, and she would pick up donations from many homebound former sewers, knitters, and crocheters. She once was asked how many times all that fabric, sewn into a ribbon, could circle the earth. As modest as she was industrious, Joan would only laugh at such a grand notion. But had such a ribbon been allowed to encircle the planet, it would have been a durable measure of her love for her community and all those in it.
On Thanksgivings, she helped organize Salvation Army meal boxes. At Christmas, there was a toy drive and holiday food baskets. She and Katsumi provided free physicals to hundreds, if not thousands, of Janesville children. In the late summer there were school physicals and in spring they worked together on free physicals for children attending Salvation Army summer camps. They also rang bells together during the Army's Red Kettle fund drives, filling their kettle due to the generosity of friends and strangers alike (and helped by Dr. Neeno's staring down his patients as he pointedly rang the bell and laughed). The Salvation Army building on Sutherland Avenue stands as a testament to her endless dedication; she led the drive that raised $400,000 for its construction. For their joint service to the community and humanity, Joan and Katz received the Army's Others award,
Joan also was a member of the local chapter of the women's charitable group PEO throughout her time in Janesville. Her titles were numerous: president, vice president, treasurer, lead fundraiser. Throughout, she joyfully worked with her PEO sisters to provide tuition money for young women entering college. Regarding funeral plans, her sole request was to be buried with her PEO pin, which she will be.
Joan and Kats worked to make their home a lovely, welcoming place. Kats oversaw the impeccable lawn, and Joan tended to the flower gardens. For years, she also had a vegetable garden on the edge of Nancy and Bob Yahr's woods. She loved the connection to her childhood farm and the joy of eating a ripe tomato, warm from the sun and plucked off the vine.
The fabric sales sparked an interest in business, and she worked part-time at the now-defunct China Shoppe in downtown Janesville. She enjoyed helping people select plates and silver - and often was paid in merchandise as she became an expert on China sets. This spread into a fondness for shopping at antique stores, where she could regale her children with explanations of farm implements or the history of a fine English pitcher.
Despite all her hard and varied work, her family and loved ones were the center of her life. In turn, she was the family's heart. Her ease in hosting a dinner party for dozens or Thanksgiving for 20 was astonishing. She bandaged skinned knees, kept the dog fed, taught her children the names of wildflowers and songbirds, tended to newborn pet baby rabbits, sewed Halloween costumes, kept a ready stash of baked goods for hungry kids and visitors, learned to be an outstanding cook of Chinese cuisine, made multicourse dinners every night as kids (and the dog) swarmed in and out of her kitchen, and kept a spotless home. She always was ready to listen to and support her children, and her hugs were gifts we all cherish. She made Christmases magical and birthdays delightful with her wonderful cooking and inimitable Dobsch torts.
She traveled a bit, although she always had a yearn to visit new places. One especially memorable excursion took Joan and Kats to Japan, where they visited Neeno relatives. But she equally enjoyed jaunts to local apple orchards and strawberry fields and travels to historical places across America.
It all looked effortless as she gracefully moved from one task to another, smelling - on special occasions - faintly of Chanel No. 5. But behind it was the work ethic and strength she learned in her childhood on her father's farm and her lifelong love for Katsumi. They golfed together when dating, enjoyed nights out in each other's arms after learning ballroom dancing in their mid-50s, and never argued. She died as his bride of 67 years.
She is survived by Katsumi and their children: Richard (Joan) Neeno, Jean (Robert) Schultz, Bruce Neeno, Carol Neeno, and Amy (Eric) Neeno-Eckwall. She was the beloved grandmother to Kats Neeno, Madeline (Matthew) Minnis, Kate (Chad) Jones, and Jessica (Jake) Saunders as well as Jasmine, Sami, and Theo Neeno, Andrew (Mikala) Marshall, and Brace and Julia Joan Neeno-Eckwall as well as greatgrandmother to Emma and Brynlee Marshall, Micah and Emmeline (Minnins), and Owen and Oliver Jones. She is also survived by her brother-in-law George Neeno, her beloved cousin Joyce Berg, dear friend Carol Rudd, nephew Tim Neeno whom she cared for when he was young, and siblings Judy MacDonald, Julie (Jim) Watson, Karen (wife of late husband Dean) Kutz, and Robert (Joy) Seeman. She also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents Robert and Marie Seeman, parents-in-law Tsuneko and Shosaku Neeno, sisters Bertha Seeman and Mary (Robert) Zentz, stepmother Beth and stepbrother David (Diane) Seeman, adopted parents Richard and Mildred Campbell, brother-in-law Dean Kutz, cousin-in-law Robert (Joyce) Berg, sister- and brother-in-law Chieko and Hideo, grandson Austin Schultz, and great grandson Joshua Marshall.
A private service will be held at the Schneider Funeral Home on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Rock County Salvation Army.