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JoAnn Aerni Obituary
JoAnn Aerni, 84, of Columbus, died peacefully Thursday Nov. 12, 2020, at the Emerald Care Center in Columbus.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Columbus. Visitation is 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, also at the church. Burial will be in the Roselawn Memorial Cemetery in Columbus.
The service on Tuesday morning will be broadcast on the McKown Funeral Home Facebook Page.
JoAnn Margaret Jostes was born on Sept. 14, 1936, in Lakeville, Minnesota, to Joseph and Margaret Jostes. Her father worked, and the family lived, at various farms in the Shelby, Nebraska, area as she was growing up, ending up in Columbus. She graduated from Shelby High School in 1954, and waitressed in cafes in Columbus. JoAnn was united in marriage to Robert Aerni in Columbus on Dec. 27, 1958. They were blessed with four children.
JoAnn was a meticulous homemaker, and assisted Bob with the family business, Aerni & Son Well Drilling. She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Williams School PTA, election day volunteer, and enjoyed attending her children and grandchildren's activities. In later years, she enjoyed road trips, TV westerns, Immanuel Contemporary Services, and Verl and Don announcing high school games on the radio. Her annoying habit of remembering every road and town she had traveled in the entire country earned her the title of "GPS" (Grandma Positioning System). JoAnn's health diminished in the last few years, and she moved to Emerald Care in 2019.
JoAnn is survived by her children, Mary (Larry) Miksch of Columbus – Adam, Brian, and Drew; Cindy (Sheri Hardwick) Aerni of Phoenix, Arizona; Tim Aerni of Columbus; Tom (Noelle) Aerni of Columbus – Doug (Gen) Aerni and Diane (Ryan) Neal; and three great-grandchildren; close friends Ruth and Martha and Betty; and nephews and nieces.
JoAnn was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Bob Jostes of Columbus; husband, Robert Aerni; and daughter-in-law, Pamela Aerni.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Immanuel Lutheran School or Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Condolences may be left at www.mckownfuneralhome.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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