Joan Catherine Shewfelt

Joan, the eldest of 6 children, was born in 1927 to Maurice and Catherine Green Aker, in Hankinson, North Dakota, a small town in the southeast corner of the state. With the strains of the Depression taking its toll on the town and her family, leadership was thrust upon her at an early age, a mantle she picked up and shouldered throughout her life. A gifted student with tremendous intellectual curiosity, Joan left Hankinson for Mundelein Women’s College in Chicago. A devotee of language and literature, Joan became editor of the school’s literary journal and graduated in 1949 with a BA in English. She moved to Los Angeles, in 1952.

Joan met Donald Shewfelt at a Catholic singles function in 1954. Their first date was at Tom Bergin’s where Joan impressed Don with an order of bourbon on the rocks. They married on July 9, 1955. Don and Joan’s seven children were born from 1956 to 1966. Joan embraced her role as wife, mother and homemaker and created a household full of love and laughter, family and friends, literature, art and culture, and a commitment to instilling in their children the core values that she and Don shared. They both embraced the beauty of an ordinary life lived extraordinarily well. It is a creed best captured in the

finale of George Eliot's Middlemarch (of all novels perhaps the closest to Joan's peaceful heart): "for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs." Don and Joan were loyal parishioners at Cathedral Chapel Church for more than 60 years and all 7 children attended Cathedral Chapel School. In addition to her commitments to the parish, Joan became an active volunteer with the Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Mothers with Children, participating in both fundraising and community outreach. She found the work very rewarding and remained a supporter of these efforts for the rest of her life. Joan thoroughly enjoyed meeting people and had a genuine interest in getting to know them better. She made everyone feel welcome and special, a trait she impressed on all her family. Joan’s home was legendary for its well-stocked kitchen, fresh baked goods, a strong sense of order and for welcoming all family and friends. It was always a hub of activity, made all the more important to her when her grandchildren, her treasures, came to swim at Grandma’s pool. Committed to her literary bucket list, Joan was 40% of the way through The Brothers Karamazov in her 95th year.

Joan was predeceased by Don who died on April 26, 2020, and her grandson, Kyle, who died in 2000. She is survived by her children: Eric (Olga Lucia), Mary Hughes (Kenny), Kristin (Luigi Girotto), John (Layne), Kurt (Jeralee), Ellen Multari (Alfred), and Craig (Maki); 15 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

A funeral mass for Joan and a Celebration of Life for both her and Don will be held on Friday, September 8 at 10:00 at Cathedral Chapel Church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Cathedral Chapel Church and School, Loyola High School or the Good Shepherd Center.