Joan Marie Rudnick

Joan Rudnick, age 82, of Appleton, passed away Tuesday, July 14, 2020, in Appleton Area Health-Care Center.  Visitation will be held 5-7 p.m., Sunday, July 26, 2020, at Zniewski Funeral Home-Vaala Chapel in Appleton.  Visitation will continue from Noon-1 p.m., followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 1 p.m., Monday, July 27, 2020, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Appleton.  Fr. Breu will officiate.  Interment will be in Appleton City Cemetery.

Joan Marie (Welsh) Rudnick, age 82 of Appleton, was born February 9, 1938 to James and Marie (Storms) Welsh in Wood, South Dakota. She attended school in Wood, graduating in 1955 and then attended Southern State Teacher’s College in Springfield, South Dakota earning her teaching certificate. Her first job was at a local school, then she moved to Ortonville and taught for three years. She met Ronald Rudnick in the fall of 1962 and they were married June 27, 1964 at the town hall in Wood, South Dakota. They made their life in rural Appleton working side by side to run the family dairy farm and raise five children. They were members of St. Joseph’s church in Holloway until it closed in 1991 and then St. John’s of Appleton where she was an active member of the church lecturing, distributing communion, and teaching religious classes.

Later in life Joan was a home health aide where she developed close relationships with those she cared for, retiring at the age of 70. In her free time, Joan enjoyed tending to her flowers - which she won many blue ribbons for at the county fair, reading, spending time at the lake, riding horses in Saddle Club, volunteering with the MCCL, and the thing she enjoyed most of all - talking to her many friends and family on the phone.

Joan is survived by her husband Ron, of 56 years; children: David (Tracy) Rudnick of Blackhawk, South Dakota, Ronda (Dave) Maas of Ortonville, Renee (Dan) Kojetin of East Bethel, Jim (Lisa) Rudnick of Willmar, and Sara (Mike) Adelman of Graceville; her grandchildren Brian (Amy) Knutson, Roxy Knutson, Lisa and Scott Kojetin, Greg (Ashley) Maas, Brittany (Kole) Mastel, Megan and Taylor Rudnick, Zak, Luke, Sam, Jake, and Noah Adelman; six great grandchildren; and her brother, Don (Jeanne) Welsh.

She was preceded in death by her parents James and Marie; brothers: George and Bob and sister, Kathy.