Joanne "Joanie" M. Doherty Obituary (1933

Rio - Joanne "Grandma Joanie" Doherty (Esser), 81, of Rio, passed away peacefully at home Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, surrounded by her loving family. Joanne was born Jan. 23, 1933, in Mt. Horeb, on the family farm. She was the fourth of seven children born to Joseph and Ida Esser. She was united in marriage to Joseph Doherty on Sept. 11, 1954. They lived in Otsego, on the family farm, and were blessed with seven children. Grandma Joanie loved spending time tending to her gorgeous flower garden, which cars have been known to stop on the way by to admire the beauty. In the summer she enjoyed a fresh tomato sandwich which she picked from her vegetable garden. She also enjoyed her Tuesday afternoon bowling and Red Hat outings. Every morning she could be found feeding the calves on the farm. Grandma Joanie loved attending her grandchildren's sporting events. She was also an avid Brewers, Packers and Badgers fan. She also loved playing cards with family and friends. Grandma Joanie was a very active member of St. Patrick's Church and also served on the parish council. She could be found enjoying breakfast after church at the Hometown Cafe with her friends. She is survived by her children, Jerry (Rhonda) Doherty, Janeen Wakeman, Jeff (Rhonda) Doherty, Jim (Mary) Doherty, and Jon (Julie) Doherty; daughter-in-law, Nancy Doherty, her grandchildren, Faith (Boyd) Busse, Heather (Jeff) Chandler, Jason (Amanda) Wakeman, Craig (Tammy) Wakeman, Josh (Marya) Wakeman, Ryan Wakeman, Eric Wakeman, Jared (Sarah) Doherty, Brandyn Doherty, Dustin Doherty, Danielle Doherty, Samantha Doherty and Bryon (Tori) Doherty; her great-grandchildren, Makayla and Brayden Busse, Emma and Logan Chandler, and Ava and Eli Wakeman. She is also survived by her sisters, Doris Zweifel of Mt. Horeb and Coletta Wagner of Middleton; her brothers, Phillip Esser of Mt. Vernon, Eugene Esser of Verona and Jim Esser of Verona; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph, on June 6, 1996; a daughter, Jan, on Oct. 26, 1956; a son, Joe, on July 17, 2001; a grandson, Jeremy, on Nov. 20, 1991; her parents; mother-in-law, Loretta; father-in-law, Frank; and sister, Frances. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:15 a.m. Thursday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Doylestown, with the Rev. Steve Kortendick presiding. Interment will follow at St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Doylestown. Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday with prayer service to follow at Smith Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Rio and again from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society or Home Health United Hospice. The family would like to thank the staff at St. Mary's Hospital and Home Health United Hospice for the wonderful care extended to our mother and grandmother the last few weeks. Also to JoAnn Evans for helping mom in her time of need. 2d:{"dateTime":