Joanne Medenwald

Funeral Services for Joanne Medenwald, 82, New Effington, will be Thursday, April 2, at 11:00 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church in New Effington with Rev. Karie Geyer and Rev. Pat Schubert officiating. Music will be provided by organist Deb Bredvik. The service will be livestreamed on the First, Faith & Our Savior’s Lutheran Parishes Facebook page.

Burial will be in the New Effington Community Cemetery. Honorary urn bearers will be all of Joanne’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be Thursday morning from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the church. 

Joanne Irene Medenwald was born on October 5, 1943, to Alfred and Grace (Christensen) Elton in Sisseton, SD. Joanne grew up on a family farm northeast of Sisseton and was the middle child of 5 sisters. She attended country school 1st-8th grade at Enterprise #4 and graduated from Sisseton High School in 1961. After graduation Joanne moved to Minneapolis to work.

Joanne met Dale Medenwald on a blind date in 1960. They got engaged in 1961 and were married on August 11, 1962, at Concordia Church near Sisseton. For a short while, they lived and worked in Minneapolis before moving back to the Medenwald Family Farm west of New Effington, SD, where they made their home. To this union of marriage, they were blessed with 2 daughters (Shelly and Rhonda) and 1 son (Daren). They were married for 63 years.

With gentle hands and a selfless heart, Joanne nurtured our family and cherished her home. She was a loving mother who made her family’s comfort her life’s work. Joanne kept a meticulous house and prepared home cooked meals for family and hired help for the farm. She was an amazing cook and always had something freshly baked for family and friends. She enjoyed bowling, playing cards, and the most cherished was her time spent with the unbreakable bond of her sisters Vonnie, Betty, Gloria, and Angie. She enjoyed tending to her garden and her beautiful flowers. Joanne was best known for her sense of humor (she could always find a way to smile or laugh even in the toughest of moments), her quiet ability to listen, and her love for her family. Joanne and Dale could frequently be seen attending children’s and grandchildren’s events.

She worked at the grade school in Claire City, and for a number of years at the Rosholt Nursing Home, and lastly at the Dakota Magic before retiring in 2007. After retiring, Joanne and Dale began spending winters in Arizona where she loved the warmer climate.

In November of 2023, Joanne entered Peaceful Pines Memory Care in Milbank, SD, where she spent her remaining days receiving compassionate care. The care givers frequently mentioned how much they loved Joanne. She passed away at age 82 peacefully on March 27, 2026, at Prairie Lakes Hospital in Watertown, SD, surrounded by her loving family.

She was preceded in death by her parents Alfred and Grace Elton; father-in-law and mother-in-law Ewald and Bertha Medenwald; sister and brother-in-law Vonnie and Duane Cook, sister Betty Marohl, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Evelyn and Duane Medenwald, sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Delores and Darrell Medenwald, and brother-in-law William McCleerey.

Blessed to share her life are her loving husband of 63 years Dale Medenwald of New Effington, SD; daughter Shelly (Bryan) Mussetter of Browns Valley, MN, daughter Rhonda (Joey) Christopherson of Big Stone City, SD, son Daren (Holly) Medenwald of New Effington, SD; a large family tree of 9 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren; her sister and brother-in-law Angie and Gary Hanson, sister and brother-in-law Gloria and Gary Newell, sister-in-law Lavonne McCleerey, brother-in-law Danny Marohl; and many nieces and nephews.