Joan E. Weinzirl Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, July 4, 2025.
Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Aunt, Godmother, teacher, apostle, and friend / kind soul to many
Joan Eileen Schulz was born and raised in Alton, Illinois. The youngest of 12 children born to Mary and Joseph Schulz, she shared her birthday with her older sister by a few minutes, Jane. Joan attended St. Mary’s Catholic Grade School and Marquette Catholic High School in Alton, continuing her education at St. Louis University where she received a teaching degree.
Joan married William Edward Weinzirl in 1959 and together they raised four children. They celebrated 63 years of marriage before Bill's passing in 2023. Joan and Bill became parishioners of St. Blaise (later Holy Spirit) in 1967, and remained so through the rest of their lives.
Through 26 years of teaching, Joan taught over 1,000 students, positively impacting so many young minds. She began her teaching career at St. Mary's Catholic Grade School in Alton where she taught for 4 years. She later taught at St. Blaise Catholic Grade School for 22 years until retirement.
Ever kind and caring, Joan donated her body to science to help others. One recipient will be Washington University - St. Louis School of Medicine Memory and Aging Project (MAP) for a study on twins in which one had Alzheimer's while the other did not. Joan was a participant in this research project for over 20 years.
The family would like to thank all the caregivers, friends and visitors that provided comfort to Joan throughout her stay at the Sarah Community. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation to help find a cure for this illness which took Joan’s twin sister, Jane, 22 years ago.
Memorial Mass Friday, July 18th, 10:00 AM at Holy Spirit Church, 3130 Parkwood Ln (Maryland Heights). Reception to follow in the Parish Hall.
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