80-year-old Joan Braunecker, of Jasper, Indiana, passed away at 2:46 p.m. on Thursday, November 19, 2020, at home.
Joan was born in Jasper, Indiana, on April 30, 1940, to Roman and Stella (Henke) Hopf. She married Donald Braunecker on October 8, 1959, in St. Mary Catholic Church in Ireland, Indiana. He preceded her in death on December 23, 1999.
Joan worked at the Schnitzelbank Restaurant in Jasper for 18 years, then at K-Mart for five years, and retired from St. Vincent de Paul, where she had worked 11 years.
She was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Jasper, Indiana since 2004, and was a former member of St. Anthony Catholic Church for 40 years, where she sang in the church choir, taught religion, belonged to prayer groups, and St. Mary Catholic Church in Huntingburg, Indiana, for five years. She was also a member of the St. Anthony Home-Ec.
Joan made many quilts for the St. Anthony and St. Mary church picnics. She enjoyed traveling to foreign countries and volunteering at Good Samaritan and Brookside nursing homes. She also enjoyed making the family tree book and recently made scrapbooks for her two great-grandchildren.
Surviving are three children, Teresa (Rick) Knies, Jasper, IN, Steven (Deanna) Braunecker, Huntingburg, IN, Diane (David) Schnell, Schnellville, IN, four grandchildren, Kyle Knies, Travis Schnell, Emily Ward, Josh Braunecker, two great-grandchildren, Mason Knies, and Thea Ward, three sisters, Patricia (Eugene) Fleck, Huntingburg, IN, Kathy (Denny) Hassler, Terre Haute, IN, and Martha (Danny) Blackburn, Evansville, IN.
Preceding her in death besides her husband, are one grandson, Jared Knies, one sister, Mary Jane Wagner, and one brother, Kenny Hopf.
A private family service will be held at St. Anthony Catholic Church, with burial in the church cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Society or to a favorite charity.
