Joan Grace Klepper, from Corona, CA, passed away on August 26, 2023, at the age of 87 of natural causes. She was bedridden for six years and the last four years lived in San Clemente Care Home. Joan passed away peacefully at the care home.
Joan was born on August 5, 1936, to John and Lottie Stewart in San Diego, CA. She was an only child, and from a young age her Aunt Grace Paxton adored her and took extra special care of her. Growing up, Joan started working in her early teens and assisted with the family-owned business which was a magazine/news stand in San Diego. In 1954, Joan graduated from Grossmont High School located in El Cajon, CA. A year after graduating high school, she married the Love of Her Life Richard Klepper!
As the story has it, Richard, who was a shoe shiner, noticed Joan working at her family’s business which was located close to his shoeshine stand. Joan immediately caught Richard’s eye as she was very beautiful, and they enjoyed getting to know each other. Their courtship started in 1948, and over the next seven years they dated, because Joan was quite young when they first met. They were married on November 1,1955, and they had three children, Cheryl Chavez, Wayne Klepper, and Kimberly Cline.
Joan was a homemaker and loving mother, and they lived in Whittier, CA, while the kids were growing up. They later moved to Las Vegas for seven years with their daughter, Kimberly. Richard and Joan treasured their time in Las Vegas; however, Richard received a promotion at the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), to be the Superintendent of the Los Angeles UPRR, which brought them to Fullerton, CA. They later resided in Corona, CA, for over 20 years and enjoyed their retirement life together. In Corona, they had fun times with their wonderful neighbors and got to know their families well.
Joan loved her family and had lots of friends. She had fun playing cards and teaching new card games to her grandchildren. They played Hand and Foot, one of her favorite card games, and quite often they would play cards for hours with friends and family.
During retirement, they taught a driving class for AARP for seniors, and they made wonderful friends from teaching these classes. Joan and Richard loved to travel. They both enjoyed country music and visited Branson, MO, to attend western concerts, and they particularly liked Dolly Parton and visited Dollywood. They also went on special trips to the Grand Ole Opry to hear their favorite country singers perform. They went on various cruises and had a wonderful time on their cruise to Alaska. A great deal of their travel took them to Oregon, Las Vegas, and Nebraska so they could spend time with their family. They were devoted baseball fans and went to Arizona for spring training for 10 years in a row. They experienced a wonderful life together. Joan and Richard were happily married for 65 years!
Joan was an avid shopper and loved to order from catalogs. Most of her clothes and Christmas gifts were purchased through catalogs. Joan loved bright clothing, shoes, and jewelry. Her clothing consisted of various vibrant colors and sparkly jewelry. Her shoes were a big thing for her, and she had over forty pairs of high heels to match all her outfits. She enjoyed shoe shopping each year in Palm Springs with her dear friend Doris Troutman. Her last pair of tennis shoes had rhinestones on them as well as the walker she used. She had her husband Richard glue the rhinestones to the shoes and walker so they would shine!
Joan was well known for her wigs. She had several hairstyles that she liked, and it was fun for her to put on a different wig for various occasions. One time she was riding a bicycle built for two, and she was on the back seat and her son Wayne was on the front seat. He said they were riding through a neighborhood, and her wig got stuck on a low hanging tree branch and her wig came off in the tree. He happened to look back and noticed her wig hanging in the tree. We all got a big laugh about that funny adventure!
Joan is preceded in death by her father John Stewart, mother Lottie Stewart, and her husband Richard Klepper. She is survived by her three children, Cheryl, Wayne, and Kimberly. Her seven grandchildren, Marsella, Erica, Tanya, Timothy, Ryan, Matthew, and Caleb. Her great grandchildren, Kaiden, Elisabeth, Zoey, and Ella.
Joan loved to celebrate life, and she had decorations for every holiday. She celebrated her birthday for the entire month of August and enjoyed Marie Calendar's peach pie to celebrate her birthday each year. Joan’s family and friends meant the world to her, and she especially loved family gatherings and spending holidays and birthdays with her family and friends.
Joan will be deeply missed by all those who had the privilege to get to know her and enjoy her company. Her family and friends have wonderful memories of special times they spent together.
Joan’s Celebration of Life is being held at Fairhaven Memorial Services located at
27856 Center Drive Mission Viejo, CA 92692 on September 9, 2023, 10:00 a.m. PST.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.fairhavenmemorialservices.com for the Klepper family.
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