Joan Marie Suhr

Joan Marie Suhr, age 89, passed away on January 9, 2025, at Three Pillars Senior Living Communities.

Joan was born October 13, 1935 in Philadelphia and grew up in New Jersey cities near Philadelphia. As a child, she used to take trains with friends to Phillies games and spent time enjoying the beach digging for clams on Cape May on the New Jersey Shore.

She graduated from St. Mary of the Angel Academy in New Jersey in 1953 and then attended the University of Pennsylvania before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she graduated in 1957. In Madison, she met Gary Suhr over coffee at the Memorial Union which started a union that lasted 62 years.

She married Gary on June 28, 1958 and lived in Madison before Gary started his first radio job at WFHR in Wisconsin Rapids in 1959. The first of their five sons, Jay and Jeff, were born in Wisconsin Rapids. Joan and Gary moved to Racine in 1962 where Gary began his long career with WRJN radio. In Racine, Joan and Gary welcomed sons Eric, Rob and Brian.

Joan wrote her “job in life was her family” and she followed her boys through YMCA sports, the Racine Kilties, sports and band at Jerstad-Agerholm and Horlick High School, as well as countless other activities. She was equally enthusiastic in following the activities of her grandchildren in cross country, track, skiing, choir, and orchestra.

Professionally, Joan’s first job was as a features writer for the Minneapolis Star. After establishing her family, she returned to work, joining Western Publishing Company in 1972 in the Activity Product Development department. She developed children’s activity products, including license agreements with Peanuts, the Children’s Television Workshop/Sesame Street and other brands. She rose to the position of Director of Activity Product Development before retiring from Western in 1995 and then served as a volunteer at the SC Johnson Childcare Learning Center.

Joan was an active member of the St. Rita’s Catholic Church community and served as a volunteer reader with Gary for grade school children during her winters in Melbourne Beach, Florida. She was a loyal member of the McKnitters knitting group, knitting prayer shawls, layettes, blankets, winter socks and 65 years of Christmas stockings cherished by her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Throughout her life, Joan loved being outside and camping with her children and grandchildren at parks throughout Wisconsin—”schlepping” tents, fishing poles, a canoe and a trailer full of bikes from Madeline Island to Wyalusing, Burnett Island, Governor Dodge, Hartman Creek, Kohler-Andrea, Copper Falls, Nelson-Dewey, Potawatomi, Interstate and Mirror Lake. She loved walks with dogs Littlechap, Rugger and Bo on nature trails and beaches from Wisconsin to the Space Coast in Florida.

Joan was preceded in death by her husband, Gary, and her son Jeff. She is survived by her sons Jay (KimMarie) - Dripping Springs, TX; Eric (Nancy) - Racine, Rob (Kim) - Wales, WI, and Brian - Oak Creek; six grandchildren Jarrett Suhr, Jordan (Andrew) Keyes, Madison (Jordan) Gregory: Reilly (Chris) Mantz, Ellen Suhr and Shelby Suhr; and seven great grandchildren – Carter, Caroline, Clayton and Christopher Keyes - Spring, TX; Dempsey and Meredith Mantz - Stanley, WI; and Paxton Gregory - Dripping Springs, TX, and her brother-in-law James - Wheaton, IL. Two special cousins, Judy Thompson and Barbara Urian were close to Joan throughout her life.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Rita Catholic Church, 4339 Douglas Avenue, on Monday February 3, 2025, 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be held at the church on Monday from 10:00 a.m. until time of Mass at 11:00 a.m.. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Racine Public Library will honor Joan’s love for books—something she remembers from her earliest memories.

Joan’s family would like to express its deepest gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff at Three Pillars who cared for Joan during the past several months.