Joan Marie MAHOWALD

1927 - 2020  (92 years)

• Name	Joan Marie MAHOWALD
  Birth	5 Sep 1927	Minnesota
  Gender	Female
  Death	13 Apr 2020	Arizona
  Notes	Joan Marie Tonsager of Hastings, age 92, died Monday, April 13, 2020 in Mesa, Arizona. She was the loving wife of Roger Tonsager for 73 years. She is survived by her husband and nine children: Luella (Jerry) Kramer, John (Mary) Tonsager, Cecelia (Bruce) Bauer, Gregory (Valerie) Tonsager, Kathy Lakin, Mary (Kevin) Fogarty, Madonna (Michael) Denley, Veronica (Lance) Johnstone, and Peter (Janet) Tonsager. She will also be greatly missed by her 24 Grandchildren, 30 Great-Grandchildren and 2 Great-Great-Grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings, Bud Mahowald and Mary (John) Wren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Joan was preceded in death by her grandson, Jeremy Lakin and her siblings: Jerry Mahowald, Donald Mahowald and Richard Mahowald. Joan was born on September 5, 1927 in Lakeville, Minnesota to Nicholas and Marie Mahowald. As a child of the Great Depression and a teenager during WWII, her experiences in those formative years influenced her greatly. Remarkably, it gave her a positive outlook on life and the appreciation of the beauty that surrounded her, not only in nature but in mankind. In 1947, she married Roger Tonsager, her high school sweetheart, and they moved to Hastings, Minnesota to raise their family in a neighborhood on a ‘pleasant hill’ surrounded by large families. If we are all a sum of those that came before us, then Joan has influenced her family in countless ways. From her father, a Police Chief, she learned compassion and the ability to always look beyond appearance and social standing for the good in others. From her mother, the love of cooking and the joys of reading. She encouraged all her children to read and to share what good books they had found with others. She loved art in any form and would take the family on trips to museums to show them what man could create. Gardening was a passion as it was also a form of art, to see a bare patch of ground, imagine the possibilities and transform it to a thing a beauty. Weeding with her was an education in the boundless beauty of nature and it was also the time of quiet contemplation. Joan valued education and encouraged her children to expand their minds and pursue their dreams, whatever that might be. She rejoiced in the variety of their dreams from hiking in the SW in pursuit of Native American petroglyphs, creating museum quality quilts, turning the perfect piece of pottery, exploring the far reaches of the earth, creating gardens of beauty and many numerous other accomplishments. When her grandchildren followed in their parents’ footsteps and greatly expanded their worlds, she always knew where each and every one was, what they were doing and was proud of each of them. “Her smile would light up the room” and any visitor to her house would be greeted by that smile and her undivided attention whether they were 72 or 2. She especially enjoyed her time with her grandchildren, listening to their stories, sitting and coloring with them or putting together puzzles, watching their faces light up in wonder as they walked to the back garden with her. When family members would visit for several hours, the evening would end in a game of cards or her favorite game, Spinner. She almost always won as she had the ability to strategize and see possible plays well in advance. If you were able to win one game against her in your lifetime that was an accomplishment you would never forget. Yet she was not competitive and to play with her was just plain fun. For the last thirty-seven years, she had one-week of alone time with her beloved family as they made their annual summer trip to resorts in northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and once in the UP of Michigan. The last twelve years were spent in Little Norway, Minnesota. Every family that could make the trip would rent a cabin and have dinner together every night where they would share their experiences of the day: fishing, hiking, biking or simply sitting on the porch watching the children play or swim in the lake. There would be arts and crafts projects for the grandkids and Joan would join in. Her grandchildren always felt comfortable in Gram’s cabin as they knew they were loved and welcome. She loved watching the sunrise in the quiet of the morning, drinking her cup of coffee and listening to call of the loon. Once all her children had married and some had moved out-of-state, Joan decided it was time to have a yearly weekend ‘girl’s trip’ somewhere within driving distance or a short flight to spend some quality time together. Each daughter or daughter-in-law would arrange one aspect of the trip: hotel accommodations, play possibilities, tours (because you do not go anywhere without learning about that place), museums, travel arrangements and, of course, the best places to eat. That time spent with her was filled with laughter and is priceless. Joan never traveled far from home until her 40’s. Having a child move out-of-state was the first stimulus for Roger and Joan to pack up the car with the youngest kids and drive to Michigan. She loved seeing new places and learning about them. When she discovered an ‘Elder Hostel’ Catalogue at the local library, she realized she could travel and take classes at the same time. By the time Roger retired, the first trip was planned and for years they would travel within the United States and Europe. When her youngest daughter‘s husband was transferred to Germany for several years, an Elder Hostel trip was planned and extended to stay with them. Joan had endless patience, not only in dealing with others, but in learning new crafts. An example of her patience, determination and artistic talent is her creation of needlework Christmas ornaments. When her first grandchild was born, she decided to make him a Christmas ornament for his first Christmas and for each Christmas of his childhood. Of course, when you do that for one, you do it for everyone. As the number of grandchildren grew, she would have to start the next years immediately after finishing the current year. As her arthritis progressed and her vision diminished, this became a labor of love. Now there are 24 Christmas Trees from coast to coast decorated with symbols of Grandma’s love. We hope that we are a sum of those who came before us. She is greatly missed. The family would like to thank the staff and caregivers of Encompass Health Rehabilitation, Advanced Health of Mesa and Crismon Peaks for their loving care and compassion during Joan’s last three months. We would like to also thank Joan’s sister, Mary, for her love and dedication for making long drives daily to sit at Joan’s bedside and help her through this time. Finally, there are not enough words to thank Joan’s granddaughter, Sara, for her endless love and help in finding the right places for ‘Gram’, making appointments, finding the best doctors, transporting Roger and giving him the support he needed, keeping us all informed of the multiple and interlocking pieces of information, basically for being our hero.
  Person ID	I12741	Don Carlson's Tree
  Last Modified	15 Feb 2025

  
  

  Family	Roger Laverne TONSAGER,   b. 22 Apr 1927, Scott County, Minnesota d. 4 Sep 2024, Minnesota (Age 97 years)
  Marriage	16 Apr 1947	Dakota County, Minnesota
  Family ID	F9526	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	5 Jul 2010