Joan Kay Renfrow

Joan Kay Ackermann Renfrow found peace on August 20, 2017 after a brief fight with stomach cancer. She was surrounded by the love of her husband and three daughters at the time of her passing. The room was filled with love, laughter, and the promise of meeting again.

Joan was born and raised in San Antonio, TX, July 21, 1951 to Martin and Natalie Ackermann. The third of three daughters, Joan grew up with family always in the forefront and a plethora of friends and cousins always by her side. When she was 17, she met the love of her life, Jim Renfrow.

Our family story begins at Pilgrim Park in San Antonio where Joan met Jim. After working hard to win her affections, Jim won Joan’s heart and were inseparable for their 48 years of marriage. Together they raised three beautiful daughters: Kari is the first daughter, who with husband Scott Opaleski, has two children, Michael and Elizabeth. Kristi is the second born, married to Michael Schonefeld, and has one son, Bradley. Kimberly Thorn completed the family as the third daughter and has three children, Eric, Evan, and Hailey.

In life, Joan was vibrant from the time she was a little girl. She was happy, always laughing. In high school, she played varsity tennis and was cheerleader at Sam Houston High School and continued cheering the rest of her life. Whether she was cheering on her daughters in dance, soccer, and swimming, or her husband playing softball, she was cheering the loudest in the stands and in all aspects of our lives. Joan was a singularly gifted artist who never shined the spotlight on herself. From sculpting small roses to painting and drawing to making elaborate costumes for Halloween, Joan found beauty in the world around her and created beauty for others to display. She didn’t take the glory of these creations; she only accepted the smiles and joy those creations created.

Joan’s happiness came from those she loved and those who loved her in return. The greatest compliments she received were those about her children. She happily watched her children and grandchildren grow and succeed because to her that’s what life was truly about.

When the children were grown, Joan took up genealogy and made huge strides in dispersing information for others. Being a vital resource for many genealogical websites, she spent hours indexing records to make them accessible for thousands of families looking to discover their past. Helping others was always at the core of her being.

Joan was a perpetual optimist who found love and joy in everything around her. She was the “life of the party” as she loved to share stories, sing and dance, and have fun. She was strong and accepting of others. She was an ear, listening to other people’s hearts. She was a shoulder, bearing many burdens cried by others. She had strong opinions and was not afraid to share, but only if you asked or started a political conversation in the same room. She was tender and nothing brought that out more than her grandchildren. In a nutshell, she loved deeply and was loved in return.

Our hope as a family is that you leave the world as tenderly and loved as Joan did. She said, “I’m ok with how this is ending. I’ve had a good life with lots of love. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Joan is preceded in death by her father Martin Ackermann and leaves behind her mother, Natalie Ackermann, sisters Carol Borenstein and husband Joseph, and Peggy Maywald. She loved and was loved by many more family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Arthritis Foundation.

Here is the link for donations.

http://tinyurl.com/y7yk6fvv