Joanne Erna Gorgan

Joanne Gorgan (nee Christian) of Rubicon passed away August 13th, 2024 at the age of 79 years, after a three year struggle with dementia. She was born March 19th, 1945 to parents Reinhard and Viola Christian and grew up in Neosho.
While Joanne was still in her teens she fell for the young and dashing Ted Gorgan. A whirlwind courtship followed, and on April 29th, 1963 the young couple eloped to Marinette, Michigan where they were married by a Justice of the Peace. The fee to perform the marriage ceremony was five dollars, which the officiant's wife, who was also a witness to the marriage, handed back to the young lovers as a wedding gift. Joanne and her new husband moved into a little apartment in Hartford, furnished with little more than a mattress on the floor then set about the task of building a life together. Daughter Kim soon arrived, followed by daughter Kristine the next year.
Through hard work and determination Joanne and Ted were able to buy a house on Rural Street in Hartford and remodel it in the rustic style that she loved so much. In 1976 the young family moved to Rubicon, into a log house that Joanne and Ted had moved piece by piece onto their new lot.. That log home became the place that Joanne would make her own, through her always changing, but always interesting decorating style. That home on the end of Kelly Drive was her happy place. It's where her love for Teddy and her girls flourished. It was the place where she taught her daughters to become young women and successful adults. Over the years Joanne welcomed many friends into her house to visit, laugh, drink a little maybe, and to vigorously discuss politics.
Joanne worked more than forty years at Mercury Marine, starting in Cedarburg, then transferring to Fond Du Lac. She sometimes grumbled about Mercury, but she went to work everyday and did her job, because that was the kind of work ethic she had.
No discussion of Joanne's life would be complete without mentioning her passion for collecting. She collected anything that caught her eye, it seems. From furniture to antiques to anything unique, to the highly collectable to the just plain fun, if she liked it, she bought it. For her, the hunt for a special piece or a good deal was as much fun as the collecting. Joanne had an amazing talent for bringing together all the elements and pieces of her wildly diverse collection to not just display her treasures, but to create spaces that were uniquely her own. She also loved to share her collectables with others. She maintained booths in multiple antique malls, set up sales displays at multiple flea markets and held rummage sales at her home.
Joanne loved her husband, her daughters, her sons-in-law, her grandkids and her great-grandkids. Her family and her friends will remember her for her generosity, her spunky sassiness, her good humor and her sometimes brutal honesty. She was a vibrant, sharp-looking woman who took pride in her appearance, and wasn't afraid to have fun with her outfits. She seldom "dressed her age", and always maintained an up-to-date hairstyle, even adding fun colors to her hair sometimes. For those close to her, it was heartbreaking to watch her mind, body and spirit ravaged by the viciousness of the dementia that consumed her. She will be greatly missed.
Joanne was not a regular church goer, (unless you count St.Vincent's) but she was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith and she made sure that her daughters had the benefit of the same experiences. Her family and friends can find comfort in knowing that through the grace of God and the power of Jesus' sacrifice she is saved.
Joanne leaves behind her husband of 61 years, Ted, two daughters, Kim (Mark) Gutschenritter, Kristine (Mike) Antonioni, grandchildren Alicia (Dale) Freckmann, Adam (Amy Garvey) Gutschenritter, Hannah (Brandon) Lindemann, Cyrena (Seth Dornfeld) Baetz, Holly (Cody) Prescher, great grandchildren Ayden and Ty Freckmann, Mykenna Gutschenritter, Hailey and Chloe Lindemann, Blair Grissman, Jayden and Preston Prescher and Emmet Dornfeld, twin brother Joe (Toni) Christian, sister Sally Kling, in-laws Kenny and DeeDee Gorgan, brother-in-law Mike Gorgan, and life-long friends Diane Schroeder and Bill and Chris Koepsell.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her parents-in-law Jack and Marion Gorgan, brother Earl Christian, sister Betty Grimm, brother-in-law Franklin Grimm, sister-in-law Judy Huggins and brother-in-law Harry Huggins, and nephew David Christian.
Joanne's family wishes to extend their sincere gratitude to the staff of Azura Memory Care in Oconomowoc and St. Croix Hospice for the kind and compassionate care they provided Joanne in the final months of her life.
Joanne made it clear that she did not want a funeral, and her family will respect that wish. She will be cremated and her ashes buried under a Mountain Ash tree in the yard of her beloved home.
Private Family Gathering will be held in her honor.
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