Joann Flynn

JoAnn Flynn, 80, of Bangor, WI, passed away peacefully at Franciscan Skemp Hospital in La Crosse, WI on April 2, 2023, Palm Sunday, after a brief illness and with family by her side comforting her.

JoAnn Marie Johnson was born August 3, 1942, in Algona, Iowa to Oscar and Helen (Greij) Johnson. She lived on the family farm and graduated from Burt Area Schools. She was smart, talented, and musical, singing at church services, funerals and weddings with her siblings. They sang great harmonies together.

JoAnn married Jim Gade on October 16, 1960. They had four children; Doug, Dawn, Jill and Jimmy, and settled in Algona, Iowa.  JoAnn was a stay-at-home mother until Jim started his business, ACElectric; she handled all but the electrical work until he died in 1976. She then worked at Snap-On Tools and Montgomery Ward until moving to Wisconsin in 1981.  She married Tex Flynn in 1985 and they eventually settled near Mondovi, WI.  She helped Tex on the farm, gardened extensively, and retired from Phillips Plastics in Eau Claire, WI.  She was a very hard worker.

JoAnn enjoyed cooking and sharing her love through good homemade food. She canned, froze, pickled, and fermented many homegrown food items, and cooked and baked from scratch. JoAnn cooked elaborate meals for the family gatherings she so enjoyed. She always had a huge garden, and if the asparagus patch wasn’t prosperous, she enjoyed driving through the countryside, asparagus hunting along the fence lines.  She loved gospel and country music, making jigsaw puzzles, and going to the casino.  She attended rodeos and horse pulls with Tex and continued following the rodeo world on TV.  Her musical talents persisted, including playing the piano by ear, hearing a song, and sitting down to play it without sheet music, until just recently.  People enjoyed her fun and goofy nature and appreciated her compassionate listening.

In her later years, she had numerous health issues, including dementia, and had loved living quite independently in her “granny pad” attached to her son, Jim’s home for the past three years.

She is predeceased by her parents, Oscar and Helen Johnson, her five siblings; Milo
Johnson, Renelda Reed, Arlen (Cook) Johnson, Arlyce Bristow and Richard Johnson; first husband Jim Gade, second husband Tex Flynn, and stepson Mike Flynn.

She is survived by her children: Douglas Gade, Dallas, TX; Dawn McCauley Ford (John), Bozeman, MT; Jill Moorthy (Subba), St Cloud, MN; Jim Gade (Gidget), Bangor, WI; stepson Casey (Tammy) Flynn, Broken Bow, NE. Her sisters-in-law, Pat Koch, Sharon Gade, Bev Gade, Margaret Pillsbury and brother-in-law Jerry Gade.  Grandchildren James and Luke McCauley,  Lance, Madison, and Logan Gade, and Jesse Gade; Sadie Taylor, Travin Flynn, Lana Burnett, and EJ Flynn; nine great-grandchildren, numerous cousins, nephews and nieces, and many good friends.

Many years ago, JoAnn proudly donated her body to Mayo Clinic upon her death. The family is arranging a Celebration of Life gathering when the weather warms up, details forthcoming.