Johanna Bliss Fabke

1938 - 2025

Johanna Bliss Fabke

March 30, 1938 - May 2, 2025

Johanna Bliss Fabke nee, Karsten was born at home, in Horicon, Wisconsin on March 30, 1938, and passed away peacefully at home, with family and Kitty Baby at her side on the morning of May 2, 2025.

Her childhood in the small town of Horicon, Wisconsin set the stage for the things that would be the most important to her throughout her life. Her parents were avid gardeners, bird watchers and, in the case of her father, Dr. John Karsten, early environmentalists. Dr. Karsten was a pioneer of the land conservation movement through his efforts to establish the Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area. That work had a lifelong influence on Johanna which she passed along to her children. She also began her lifelong love of music, trains, and train travel during her childhood in Horicon.

Johanna's High School education took her to Wayland Academy, which resulted in lifelong friendships from the class of 1956. Her interest in organ music took her to Northwestern University where she graduated in 1960. On August 25th, 1962, she married John Edward Fabke and then completed her MA in music from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Johanna's love of music as a player, singer, listener and organizer provided a lifetime of good works and dear friendships. She was an active church musician as an organist and pianist for many years. Johanna was also a tireless organizer and volunteer for a variety of organizations. Some of the groups she was involved with include the Board of Directors Wayland Academy, Janesville Community Concert Association, Children's Arts Council of Janesville and the Wild Hog In The Woods Coffeehouse in Madison. She was a founding member of the Gandy Dancer Traditional Music Festival, 2007-2015, that was connected to her fundraising and organizational efforts to restore the Badger #2 Pullman "Fish Car" at the Mid Continent Railway Museum. For all the performance and organizational work that she did, her most meaningful musical, spiritual and community connections were through her more than three decades as a Sacred Harp singer. She was a stalwart singer in the local Madison sings, and she traveled throughout the Midwest and South to attend gatherings in those areas.

Following the death of her husband, Johanna returned to the workforce for several Madison area businesses, the university and for the Departments of Natural Resources and Public Instruction. Upon her retirement, she enjoyed gardening, her cats, birding, walks in nature, reading, knitting, time with family, friends, attending Sacred Harp Singing and riding trains.

Throughout her life she made deep, meaningful, connections with the people she encountered and in closing, Johanna wished for the simplest of texts for her obituary. "Just tell them that I lived to play music and plant flowers and trees."

Johanna's life will be celebrated on June 20th at 11:00 a.m., Tree of Life Chapel at Oakwood Village Prairie Ridge, Madison, Wisconsin. Donations in her remembrance can be made to Oakwood Village Prairie Ridge, Wayland Academy, or giver's choice of environmental or arts organization.