Joan Kohan

1948 - 2024

Joan Kohan
May 31, 1948 - October 26, 2024
Joan Louise (Hankel, Short) Kohan of Erhard, MN died October 26, 2024, at 7:42 pm. Joan Kohan was born May 31, 1948 in Minneapolis, MN. She attended parochial schools in Minneapolis and graduated from St. Anthony of Padua High School. Following graduation from the University of MN in 1970, she served as a Vista Volunteer for a year in the Arkansas Ozarks, and for 1 ½ years in Otter Tail County, MN.
On November 2nd, 1971, Joan married James Gary Kohan, and then moved from Minneapolis to Otter Tail County, MN to live the country life, building their own home. The two happiest days in Joan's life were the days her children were born, Gretchen, July 1973, and Eliot, January 1983. Joan taught elementary school for several years in Underwood, MN. In 1981, Joan and Jim started Meadow Farm Foods, a health food store which is still operating today, under a different name, in Fergus Falls, MN. Joan gave up teaching to run Meadow Farm Foods upon Jim's death in 1986, but taught numerous classes over the years at her store, and put on many community events: Fall Open House, Senior Citizen Appreciation Lunches, Earth Day Celebrations, and Blueberry Days.
Joan's favorite times were spent with her grandchildren, who she adored and was inspired by. Joan enjoyed reading, loved the outdoors, swimming, canoeing and camping in the Boundary Waters, and observing nature. She "never saw a lake she didn't want to swim in." Joan loved traveling, and made it to much of the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Europe, and New Zealand, but Alaska was her favorite place to visit, because it was so wild.
Preceding her in death was her husband, James Kohan, her parents, William Hankel and Louise Short, stepfather, Richard Short, her brothers, Bobby Hankel, and William Short.
Joan is survived by her children, Gretchen (Joseph Lutton) Kohan of New York, NY, and Eliot (Lindsay DeVore) Kohan of St Paul, MN; grandsons, Harrison Kohan-Lutton, and Simon Kohan; sister, Mickey Short of Fergus Falls, MN; sisters-in-law, Nancy (John) Jensen of Minneapolis, MN, Cheryl Kohan of Oswestry, U.K.; aunt, Dorothy Hankel of Nevada; several nieces and nephews, and cousins in the US and in the Netherlands.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to "Friends of the Boundary Waters" (friends-bwca.org) or "Hope Lodge Minneapolis".
Memorial Service: 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 9, 2024, at St. James Catholic Church, rural Underwood,
MN. Clergy: Father Alan Wielinski.
Interment: St. James Catholic Cemetery, rural Underwood,MN.
Arrangements provided by Olson Funeral and Cremation in Fergus Falls.
Online condolences may be sent to www.olsonfuneralhome.com.