Joan D. Williams

Joan D. Williams, loving wife, mother, and grandmother passed away peacefully Nov. 17, 2021, from complications of cancer at home in Hickman. A Celebration of Life Gathering will be held at the Mettle Grill in Hickman Saturday, Nov. 27, from 2-6 p.m. with lunch provided. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Jude Research Hospital.

Joan was born Sept. 1, 1946, to Harry and Lily (Knoepfel) Ritz in Loup City, Neb., the youngest of seven children. She graduated from Arcadia Public School in 1964 and Kearney State College (UNK) in 1968. On Jan. 26, 1968, she was united in marriage to the love of her life and best friend, Karney Williams. To this union one son, Bryan, was born in 1977. Over the course of 39 years, she taught business and coached volleyball at Humphrey St. Francis, Palmer High School, and Arcadia High School, retiring in 2009.

In 1981 when Karney retired from education, they returned to Arcadia so Karney could engage in farming and Joan could continue to teach. Joan loved teaching her favorite subject, accounting, and always found positivity in everyone she met. She will be remembered as a role model to all her former volleyball players, students and anyone she had contact with. Joan enjoyed the following: farm life, her manicured lawn, gardening, reading, and casinos but most of all she absolutely adored her five beautiful grandchildren and her Grammy meetings with them. In 2014 Karney and Joan purchased a home in Hickman to be closer to them. She was so proud of them and their accomplishments and attended all their activities until ill health no longer allowed. The couple maintained 2 households until she was diagnosed with cancer in 2019.

Leaving to mourn her passing are her beloved husband, Karney, her son Bryan (Kelly), and precious grandchildren, Jordyn, Ryleigh, Ryder, Kyson, and Jaxyn of Hickman, Neb., her sisters Norma Gardner, Grand Island, Neb., Sandy (Claris) Sell, Gibbon, Neb., Janene Cruikshank, Ord, Neb., her brother Lynn (Jill) Ritz, Arcadia, Neb., and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Connie and Richard Anderson, Arcadia, Neb..

She was preceded in death by her parents, infant brother Thomas, brother and sister-in-law Ron and Vivian Ritz, brothers-in-law Fred Gardner and Max Cruikshank, nephew Victor Gardner, and mother-and father-in laws Gladys and Claude Williams.

Condolences online at Roperandsons.com

To all you good people who sent sympathy greetings with cards, money, phone calls and sent food at the time of Brother Tom’s death, it was appreciated.

The funeral Mass was beautiful and celebrated by the Vicar of St. Louis, and the singing was special.

Thank you to the ladies who prepared the meal along with the helpers.

Thanks to the crew that got the cemetery plot ready and to Gass Haney and the helpers for being there to aid us.

Mary Catherine (Kitty) Wieser and family.