JoAnne was born on April 2nd, 1935, to Alma and Clarence Biery in Toronto, SD. She was the youngest of 4 children. She was baptized and confirmed at Leganger Lutheran Church. JoAnne lived in Toronto her entire childhood life and graduated from Toronto High School in 1953.
She married Rangvald Whitmyre on July 23, 1953; and to this union, three children were born: one son, Randy; and two daughters, Cynthia and Kristi. They lived in a few small towns in the Midwest, where Rangvald was Superintendent of Schools. Rangvald retired in 1980 from Stanton Community Schools and chose to retire in Omaha to be closer to family.
Once retired, Rangvald started working at Metropolitan Community College, and JoAnne started working in Human Resources shortly thereafter. In 1997, she received the Heart of Metro Award for putting people first in the true community college spirit.
They were members of Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church since 1980, and JoAnne was very active until her stroke in 2013. In 2008, Kountze celebrated its 150th anniversary, which was the same year as Martin Luther's 500th anniversary. JoAnne was delighted to join other members of the church on a tour of Germany for 11 days, which was one of the highlights of her life.
In addition to her strong Lutheran faith, she loved her Norwegian heritage. She and Rangvald traveled to Norway, and upon moving to Omaha, they became charter members of the Sons of Norway/Elveby Lodge in 1988, where they served in many roles, including Co-Presidents.
JoAnne loved to travel; and other than traveling to Norway and Germany, her favorite travels were with her grandchildren to the Black Hills, Colorado, and Washington DC. She also loved traveling to visit her nieces and nephews, whom she was able to see over the years. But, most exciting of all, in 2022, she was able to fulfill her long-time "Bucket List" by visiting the "Field of Dreams" and "The Little Brown Church in the Vale".
JoAnne is survived by her son, Randy (Cyndi) Whitmyre of Omaha, NE; daughters Cynthia Whitmyre of Omaha, NE; and Kristi Whitmyre of Eden Prairie, MN. Five grandchildren: Carri (Jake) Thiel, Amy (Dan) King, John (Kayla) Whitmyre, Jared (Lauren) Whitmyre, Deanna Whitmyre. Eight great-grandchildren: Jack and Lucas Thiel; Derek and Drake King; Ellie, Layla, and Michael Whitmyre; and Maggie Schwery. JoAnne was preceded in death by her husband, parents, two sisters, and a brother.
