Joan D. Williams

1946 - 2021

HICKMAN - Joan D. Williams, loving wife, mother and grandmother, died peacefully Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, from complications of cancer at home in Hickman.
A celebration of life gathering will be 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, at Mettle Grill in Hickman with lunch provided.
Roper and Sons Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
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Joan was born Sept. 1, 1946, to Harry and Lily (Knoepfel) Ritz in Loup City, the youngest of seven children. She graduated from Arcadia Public School in 1964 and Kearney State College (UNK) in 1968.
On Jan. 26, 1968, she married the love of her life and best friend, Karney Williams. To this union one son, Bryan, was born in 1977. During the course of 39 years, she taught business and coached volleyball at Humphrey St. Francis, Palmer High School and Arcadia High School, retiring in 2009.
In 1981 when Karney retired from education, they returned to Arcadia so Karney could engage in farming and Joan could continue to teach. Joan loved teaching her favorite subject, accounting, and always found positivity in everyone she met. She will be remembered as a role model to all her former volleyball players, students and anyone she had contact with. Joan enjoyed the following, farm life, her manicured lawn, gardening, reading and casinos, but most of all she absolutely adored her five beautiful grandchildren and her Grammy meetings with them. In 2014 Karney and Joan purchased a home in Hickman to be closer to them. She was so proud of them and their accomplishments and attended all their activities until ill health no longer allowed. The couple maintained two households until she was diagnosed with cancer in 2019.
Survivors include her beloved husband, Karney; her son, Bryan (Kelly); and precious grandchildren, Jordyn, Ryleigh, Ryder, Kyson and Jaxyn of Hickman, her sisters, Norma Gardner of Grand Island, Sandy (Claris) Sell of Gibbon, and Janene Cruikshank of Ord; her brother, Lynn (Jill) Ritz of Arcadia; and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Connie and Richard Anderson of Arcadia.
She was preceded in death by her parents; infant brother Thomas; brother and sister-in-law Ron and Vivian Ritz; brothers-in-law, Fred Gardner and Max Cruikshank; nephew Victor Gardner; and mothers- and fathers-in-law Gladys and Claude Williams.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Jude Research Hospital.