Joan Wilberding

Wilberding, Joan (Moran)

Joan (Moran) Wilberding, 78, Sun Prairie, Wis., passed away surrounded by her family on Sunday, July 8, 2012, at Hillside Manor Nursing Home in Beaver Dam, Wis., after a 15 year battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Joan was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on April 19, 1934, and was the daughter of William and Mary (Schrofer) Moran. She and her husband, the late Alan Wilberding, were married on Feb. 6, 1954 and spent 43 wonderful years together. She will always be remembered as a loving wife, mother and grandmother who saw the good in everyone and everything. Joan was a woman of boundless energy and great compassion. She lived life with the utmost kindness, generosity and simplicity. While Joan enjoyed volunteering in numerous churches and schools throughout her lifetime, her principle vocation was to be the best mother and wife she could be to her nine children and husband. Joan was a person of deep faith and was our role model extraordinaire, always showing us patience, wisdom, support, encouragement, strength, honesty and unconditional love. She was the best example of the kind of person God put us on this earth to be. Joan was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Alan in 1997; two sisters and three brothers. She is survived by six daughters, Mary (Steve) Lombardi, New Brighton, Minn.; Jane (Jim) Kaderabek, Manitowoc, Wis.; Ann (Dan) Schubert, Beaver Dam, Wis.; Janet (Jim) Pliner, Oregon, Wis.; Joan (David) Unmacht, Sun Prairie; and Amy Wilberding, Sun Prairie; three sons, Alan (Nannette) Wilberding, Mooresville, N.C.; Bill (Jill) Wilberding, Carlinville, Ill.; and Paul (Sue) Wilberding, Sun Prairie; 20 grandchildren and one great-grandchild; two sisters, Patricia Peterson, Louisville, Ky.; and Peggy Roberts, Edina, Minn.; two sisters-in-law, Sally (Jack) Parker and Carole (Dave) Welu, Dubuque, Iowa. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, July 11, at 11 a.m. at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church in Sun Prairie, with visitation from 9:30 a.m. until the Mass. Monsignor Terrence Connors will officiate with burial at Sacred Hearts Catholic Cemetery in Sun Prairie. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin. Special thanks from Joan and her family to the dedicated staff at Hillside Manor Nursing Home and Hillside Hospice for their loving care and compassion, and to the many others who contributed to her care throughout the years.

Rest in peace, Mom. We love you so much!