Joan (Wilson) Vavricka

Joan (Wilson) Vavricka was born to Fern (Wade) and Ernest Wilson at their homestead 2 miles north and 2 miles east of Cowles, Nebraska, on November 27th, 1926.  She departed this life on August 9, 2018, at age 91 at Pratt Regional Medical Center, Pratt, Kansas.

Joan was an adored only child who helped with farm chores and kept many pets including pet chickens and her black and white paint horse she rode to school.  In high school, Joan was an excellent student and loved to play basketball graduating Cowles high school in 1944.   After graduation, she worked for a short while in Kansas City at a restaurant and then returned to the area to teach in a one-room school house for two years.  She married Eddie Roy Vavricka in 1946, and they were together for 67 years until Eddie passed at age 90.   Joan then moved to Red Cloud’s Cherry Corner Estates assisted living center until this spring when she developed serious medical problems and chose to move to Kansas to be closer to her daughter, Judy.

Joan was deeply loved and cared for by her husband.  When they were younger, they went to card parties with their neighbors and dances at the Bohemian hall.  Joan’s love of cards continued throughout her life and she had the reputation of being an excellent pitch player, unafraid to bid high.  In fact, just two days prior to her death, Joan won her final pitch game.  

They had four children: Eddie Joe, Sandra, Kathy, and Judy.  Joan took great pride in her children and was interested in their school work and went to all of their sporting events.  Joan taught her girls how to bake and sew and was involved in their 4-H projects.  In addition to being a mom, Joan kept very busy as a full-time farmwife helping with the hogs, horses, cattle, and chickens. 

As an expert cook and baker, Joan’s family was treated to countless fabulous meals and desserts.  Joan was passionate about her flower gardens.  She especially loved roses and hibiscus.  She insisted on keeping her very large flower beds even into her elderly years.  Joan loved comedy movies and the thrill of trying to guess “who done it?” in a murder mystery.  Attending the horse races a few times each year was another great joy.  She had a knack for choosing the winning horse and most days would come home beating the odds.  

Joan was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Eddie, and granddaughter, Chloe DeWeese. 

Survivors include her son, Eddie Joe Vavricka and wife, Gloria, of Hildreth, NE; Sandra Berry and husband, David, of Bella Vista, AR; Kathy McCabe and husband, Tom, of Los Altos Hills, CA ; and Judy DeWeese and husband, Scott, of Cunningham, KS.  Also surviving are 13 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were Saturday, August 18th at 11:00 am at the First United Methodist Church in Red Cloud with the Rev. Warren Schoming officiating.  Interment was at the Red Cloud Cemetery. 

Memorials will be donated to the Cherry Corner Estates assisted living center. 

View the funeral service by "copy & paste"....

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MkHFVkZHYcZrYursDk93hPl4LZLTzptT/view?ts=5b7b2d6d
 

or

VIEW JOAN'S TRIBUTE VIDEO BY CLICKING ON THE TAB BELOW... 

Williams Funeral Home
241 West 4th Avenue
Red Cloud, Nebraska  68970

Phone: (402) 746-2500
williamsfuneralhomes@yahoo.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joan (Wilson) Vavricka, please visit our floral store.