Joan Ida (Heussman) Freise was born May 25, 1930, to Herman and Ida 
Heussman on the family farm in rural Rawlins County, Kansas. She died 
December 12, 2020 of Covid-related causes at the Good Samaritan Society 
in Atwood, Kansas. She was 90 years old. Baptized and confirmed into the
 Christian faith, she remained a lifelong, active member of the Lutheran
 Church. 
Joan attended St John’s College and Valparaiso University. After 
returning home, she and her cousins, affectionately known as “The 
Bettys” moved to Denver, CO. It was there she met her husband, Charles 
R. Freise, stationed at nearby Lowry Air Force Base. They married in 
1953 and raised four daughters, Carol (Greg Canright) Freise, Jennifer 
(Greg) Hanson, Marla (Doug) Reinert and Gail (Tom) Plinke. 
The years were filled with travel as her husband’s career took them to 
Waukegan, Illinois, Albany, New York, Libertyville, Illinois and 
Bloomfield, Michigan. Their retirement was enjoyed on the lake in 
northeast Indiana. Joan’s kindness, grace and good humor accompanied her
 throughout. She treasured many dear friendships along the way and 
returned to Atwood, KS after Chuck passed away in 2011. 
Joan valued education and passed along a love of reading to her 
daughters. She taught Head Start and gave private Confirmation classes 
to several differently abled individuals in her church. 
Joan was a loving mother and skilled homemaker. She was proud of her 
daughters, their accomplishments and families. She will be remembered 
for her banana bread and jars of home-canned tomatoes, pickles, green 
beans and other pickings from the garden. 
Joan was preceded in death by her parents and by her siblings and their 
spouses: Elaine (Robert) Holle, Irene (Milton) Schmidt, Bernice (Alvin) 
Kasten, John (Johanna) Heussman and Gerald Heussman, her brother-in-law 
and sister-in-law, William and Alice Souza, and numerous nieces and 
nephews. 
She is survived by sister-in-law Elaine Heussman; her daughters and 
their spouses; eight grandchildren, Katherine, Jack, Jessica, Sarah, 
Jacob, Anna, Frederick and Elaina and eight great-grandchildren. 
The family extends heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the staff at Good 
Samaritan Society-Atwood for the care, kindness and support they 
provided to Joan. Services were held at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 
Atwood, Kansas to be followed by internment in Illinois. Memorials are 
suggested to the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) Redeemer 
Lutheran Church in Atwood or to a charity of your choice that supports 
the disabled or literacy and may be sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, 
PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For information or condolences visit 
www.baalmannmortuary.com&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Joan I. Freise (Heussman)