Joanne Ardyce (Joan Kellom) Dehne, age 84, passed away on Jan 29, 2023.
Joanne was born in Beaver Dam, WI on April 1, 1938, daughter of Izma Naomi (Kohler) Kellom and Alvin George Kellom. After high school Joanne continued to live and work in Beaver Dam. She was employed at Monarch Range and later at the First National Bank of Beaver Dam. A fellow cashier, Harriet Gritzmacher, who became a lifelong friend, set up a reluctant Joanne with a blind date at the Dehne’s cottage on July 4th , 1959, Here, Joanne met her future husband for the first time. She married Robert Allen Dehne on October 15, 1960 in the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Beaver Dam. The 4th of July was like a second anniversary for them, celebrating that blind date encounter, and will continue to be remembered as a special family tradition. Soon after marriage, Robert and Joanne moved to Menomonee Falls to raise their four children. Joanne was a wife and mother throughout the child raising years. At ‘empty nest’ time, Joanne became the office manager at Brookfield Christian School, where she worked for 15 years before her retirement.
Joanne’s passion has always been music. Instruments she played included the saxophone, banjo, accordion, piano, and organ. She studied piano during her school years and used her talents to master the pedal organ and accordion. She could be heard playing her accordion on the Beaver Dam radio station, WIBU, with Orgine Wendt back in the 1950s. Memories of her own piano and organ being delivered to the front door in Menomonee Falls as gifts were good ones for her we are sure. Her children will remember (though maybe not always fondly) being awakened on Sunday mornings to the sound of the organ blasting and her singing the hymns as practice for the church service. Joanne played organ at the Menomonee Falls Orthodox Presbyterian Church almost every Sunday and managed the music program there for nearly 40 years. Her talents extended beyond the typical service to special music during holidays and celebrations. She taught piano lessons to some of the children of church families at the urging of their parents. Many knew her to have perfect pitch and the ability to hear a song and literally begin playing and/or transposing it, without any music. For 11 years during retirement time, she played for the Falls Bible Church.
Joanne is survived by her children, Wendy (James) Schober-Ditmore of Houston, Shely (Steve) Hoffman of Green Bay, Tarey (Bonnie) Dehne of Mayville, and Stacy (Phil Richard) Dehne of Park Falls; grandchildren, Allen, Rachel, Ethan, Rebecca, Tess, and Blake; great-grandchildren, Lucy Mae, Evelina, Peter, and Lincoln; brother-in-law, Marvin (Sandy) Dehne; nephew, Dan Jennings and niece, Barb Beldin and their families, niece, Nancy Schwantz and family; and other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert; her parents, Alvin and Izma Kellom; stepsisters, Viola Hanson and Phoebe Jennings; stepbrother Howard Kellom; niece, Lucy Murray and other relatives and friends.
Visitation for Joanne will take place on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services, 135 Keller Blvd. Beaver Dam from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral service at 12:00 p.m. (noon). Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Beaver Dam.
If desired, memorials in Joanne’s name may be directed to Falls Bible Church (W156 N6531 Pilgrim Road, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051) or Beaver Dam High School Band Program (Kyle Henrickson, 500 Gould St. Beaver Dam, WI 53916).
Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services in Beaver Dam is honored to be serving the family. You may send private online condolences or sign the family’s guest book at www.cstonefs.com.
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