Joan Lucille Rezac

Mrs. Joan Lucille "JoAnn" Rezac (née Blocker), age 94, passed away on March 7, 2026, after a brief illness, surrounded by her family. She had made her home in Emmett, Kansas, since 1971.

Joan was born December 4, 1931, in St. Benedict, Kansas. She received her early education in Nemaha County and graduated from Hayden High School in Topeka in 1950.

On April 19, 1952, she married Bernard Anthony Rezac in Topeka. Together they shared 56 years of devoted marriage until his passing in 2008.

Joan's greatest joy was her large and ever-growing family. One of eleven siblings, she was part of a lively clan that eventually welcomed fifty-eight children among them, creating a network of cousins, aunts, and uncles bound by deep affection and shared traditions. What began as frequent family celebrations grew over time into an annual July reunion that gathered the descendants of her parents, Clemens and Mary Blocker. After the passing of her mother and her elder sisters, Joan naturally stepped into the role of family matriarch. With warmth and quiet devotion, she became a steady connecting thread across generations, someone who remembered the stories, kept the traditions alive, and ensured that the bonds of family remained strong.

For 35 years, Joan worked as a Special Agent for Modern Woodmen of America. She leveraged her passion and the philanthropy of MWA to support her community. Through her efforts, nearly $400,000 was raised for individuals and local projects, including the refurbishment of the kitchen at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Emmett as well as several benefits for area emergency responders. Her generosity and dedication left a lasting legacy in the community she loved.

Among the many roles Joan embraced throughout her life, the one that brought her the greatest joy was managing the family's cow-calf operation. Each spring brought a new crop of black, white-faced calves from her carefully selected Hereford cows and Angus bull. Year after year, the calves reliably "topped the market" on the Tuesday after Labor Day. Before macular degeneration limited her eyesight, Joan could identify every cow at a glance and rattle off past calves' sex and market weight from memory. When her vision declined, ear tags became necessary as no one else could match her remarkable skill. Even in her final days, she delighted in the arrival of the first calves of the 2026 season.

Joan also found great joy in quilting. She meticulously hand-pieced thousands of petals into dozens of Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts, each one a testament to her patience, artistry, and love of the craft.

A woman of deep faith, Joan was a lifelong Catholic. For more than 50 years she was a devoted member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Emmett and, following its closing, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in St. Marys. Although her attendance was less frequent in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, her faith never wavered.

She is survived by her children: Teresa L. Rezac and her husband Tom Rasnic of Emmett, Kansas; Charles Rezac of Emmett, Kansas; Mary Rezac and her husband Peter Pfromm of Lawrence, Kansas; and Francis Rezac and his wife Teresa M. Rezac of Emmett, Kansas. She is also survived by four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; one brother, Regis Blocker of Lucerne, Missouri; and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and cousins who will cherish her memory.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bernard Rezac; infant twin daughters; five brothers and five sisters, including Angela Madden, Joseph Blocker, Mary Margaret Blocker, Edward (Leroy) Blocker, Patricia Blocker, Kevin Blocker, Murty Blocker, Felicia Boeckmann, and James Blocker.

A Visitation will be held from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, on Friday, March 13, 2026 at Piper Funeral Home in St. Marys, Kansas; the Rosary will be recited at 7:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 14 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in St. Marys, Kansas. Interment will follow immediately at Mount Calvary Cemetery in St. Marys, Kansas.

A luncheon will be held in the church hall following the services to honor Joan's life and legacy.

Memorial contributions in Joan's memory may be made to either the Johnson Cancer Research Center by clicking HERE or the St. Marys High School FFA and those may be sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple, St., St. Marys, KS 66536.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace.