JoAnn Marie Kochar

JoAnn Marie Kochar

JoAnn Marie Kochar left us on January 18, 2023.

She was born May 8, 1950, to Joseph & Esther (Hyvonen) Straynor. She grew up in Eveleth and graduated from Eveleth High School in 1968. After high school, JoAnn worked and lived in Duluth for a short time before moving back to Eveleth, starting a family and becoming a homemaker. Once her kids were teenagers, she went back to the workforce starting at the East Range DAC and then a few different jobs before settling in at and eventually retiring from the St. Louis County Sherriff's Office in Virginia. She became good friends with a number of her co-workers and enjoyed the camaraderie in the office.

JoAnn was a loving daughter, mother, grandmother and friend. She spent time with numerous friends and took her mother to lunch and shopping every weekend for years. The biggest joys in her life were her grandchildren. Spending time with them and watching them in their activities filled her calendar. She enjoyed having them over for sleepovers and had many pick-up and drop-off duties. She was their biggest cheerleader and loved to hear about everything they did. JoAnn would spend her lunch hour taking walks and put on many miles. She also loved playing Yahtzee, was a past member of Fayal TOPS, was an avid Minnesota Twins fan and loved her 60's music-specifically the Beatles and BeeGees.

JoAnn was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in her late-50s. While the disease began gradually slowing her down, she tried to remain as active and involved as possible. She retired in 2012 and, shortly after, moved into assisted living at Edgewood Vista. Despite being one of the youngest people there, she made the best of it and made a number of friends. She participated in as many activities as she could and won many Bingo games. In March 2022, after being hospitalized for two weeks, JoAnn moved into Waterview Pines in Virginia. Her family is very thankful for the care she received at Edgewood and Waterview.

JoAnn will be dearly missed by her children, Jennifer (Keith) Wainionpaa and Justin (Teresa) Kochar; her grandchildren, Kyle and Gray Pontinen, Austin and Autumn Kochar, and Kyle and Kayla Wainionpaa; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Memorial service will be held on Tuesday, January 24, at 11 a.m. at United in Christ Lutheran Church in Eveleth. Pastor Jeanne Madsen will officiate. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Luncheon and burial in Eveleth Cemetery to follow.

In lieu of cash gifts to the family, please consider donating to the research and eventual cure of Parkinson's disease.

Arrangements were entrusted to Cron-Sheehy Funeral Home, Eveleth. To sign the guestbook and leave an online memorial, please go to: www.cron-sheehy.com