Joan Marie Reusch

                                                                                        Joan Marie Ellen Keeley Reusch

                                                    

Joan Marie Reusch, born March 30, 1953, in Rushville, Indiana, peacefully went home to the Lord on August 18, 2025, in Pawnee, Oklahoma. She was the beloved daughter of William Leslie and Jeanne Louise Keeley.

The youngest of three daughters, Joan was raised in the Catholic faith and attended high school at El Capitan High School in California. She later pursued her passion for beauty and earned her degree in cosmetology. Over the years, she worked in many fields—including beautician, cake decorator, bartender, warehouse manager, and baker—leaving a lasting impression everywhere she went.

On November 3, 1978, Joan married Roger Reusch in Denver, Colorado, and together they raised their family there.

While raised Catholic, Joan most recently attended the Salvation Army Church in Stillwater, OK, where she delighted in hearing her great-nephews play music in the church band.

Joan was the loving mother of Amanda Miller and Sara Haley, and she embraced Roberta Hubbard as her own. She and her first husband, Roger, also opened their hearts and home to more than 75 foster children, providing love and stability to each one.

In January 2001, Joan married Gerard "Rod" Bertsch in Denver. They later moved to Glencoe, OK in 2009, then to Stillwater in 2011, where they shared many happy years together.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Jeanne Keeley; her sister, Zelene Transue; and her first husband, Roger Reusch.

She is survived by her children: Amanda Miller; Sara Haley and her husband, Bobby; and Roberta Hubbard and her husband, Aaron. She leaves behind her beloved grandchildren, Lillian Grace, Ellie Jane, and Adaline May. She is also survived by her sister, Leslyn DeLandsheer, and husband, Robert; and by her many nieces and nephews: Kim Baltazar (Jimmy), Jaime Transue (Marie), Angela Leas, Dawn DeLandsheer, Barbara McCray (Randy), and JR “Bobby” DeLandsheer (Karla). Joan was affectionately known as “Aunt Jo” to multiple generations of nieces and nephews, and to countless others who loved her as family.

Joan will be remembered for her generosity, her love of family, and her devotion to children. She found her greatest joy in being “Grandma” and “Aunt Jo,” and in the companionship of her beloved dog, Nilla.

The family wishes to give heartfelt thanks to the McCray family and to her loving caregiver, Angela Leas, for giving Joan two additional years of independence and dignity as her health declined. Without their love, time, and support, those final years would not have been possible. We are forever grateful.

Funeral services, entrusted to Poteet Funeral Home, will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2025, 2:00 P.M. at Pawnee United Methodist Church in Pawnee, Oklahoma. Graveside services will immediately follow at Highland Cemetery, with a dinner afterward at 4:00 p.m. at Pawnee United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that donations be made toward Joan’s headstone fund through the Poteet Funeral Home 600 Illinois Street Pawnee, Oklahoma 74058