Elizabeth "JoAnn" VanAcker

Elizabeth "JoAnn" VanAcker

Lansing - Age 80, passed away peacefully in hospice care with family at her side and joined The Lord on Feb. 21, 2021. A loving wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, JoAnn was known by all whose lives she touched as the kindest, sweetest and most caring person one might ever meet. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Thomas James VanAcker; daughters Lynne (Roger) Martin, and Tina (Fred) Dudley; son Steven VanAcker; brother Joseph (Bonnie) Kelso; twin sister Joan Whitmore; six granddaughters; two grandsons; one great granddaughter; and many loving VanAcker family members. She was preceded in death by son William VanAcker; parents Joseph and Mary Kelso; brother James Kelso; and brother-in-law Gary Whitmore. JoAnn was one of the four children of Joseph and Mary Kelso of Shepherd, Mich. She and her twin, Joan, were born in an aunt's home in Saginaw on March 15, 1940. Joseph and Mary - and the doctor too, apparently -- were expecting to be blessed by one baby that day. "Wait, there's another one in there!," the surprised doctor reportedly exclaimed as the sisters entered the world. JoAnn was devoted to her family and to The Lord and a gifted cook and baker. The birthday cakes she made for her children and grandchildren were culinary marvels that sometimes defied physics (we're still not sure how she made that birthday cake in the perfect shape and scale of a soccer ball). For nearly 25 years, JoAnn worked as a cashier at the Meijer Store in south Lansing, making it a point to greet every customer with her beautiful smile. On most Saturday afternoon masses at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Lansing, JoAnn and Tom and some assortment of children, grandchildren and/or other family members could be found seated together celebrating their family and faith. For a couple decades before JoAnn's health declined, the family would gather for epic "Sunday Dinners" at Tom and JoAnn's house to share stories, solve the world's problems, and enjoy time together. The Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, Feb. 25 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 3815 S. Cedar St., Lansing. A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed immediately by mass. Please note that COVID-19 personal and public health protocols will be in effect at the church, including social distancing and everyone attending wearing protective masks. Arrangements are being handled by Palmer Bush & Jensen Funeral Home, Holt, Mich. In lieu of sending flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be sent to the Michigan Parkinson Foundation https://www.parkinsonsmi.org/support-mpf/donatenow and Hospice House of Mid-Michigan https://www.sparrow.org/our-hospitals-services/services/hospice-care.