Obituary of Joan Carol Braatz

Joan C.  (Rourke) Braatz, age 87 of Oxford, died Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at the Solon Nursing Care Center.

Memorial services will be held Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 11am at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oxford, with burial to follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery near Oxford.  Visitation will be from 9am until services at the church.  Following services at the cemetery, everyone is welcome to join Joan’s family for a meal at St. Mary’s Auditorium.  In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made in Joan’s honor to the Oxford First Responders or Iowa City Hospice.  To share a thought, memory or condolence please visit Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service website @ www.gayandciha.com.

Joan Carol Edwards was born September 29, 1938, in Iowa City, Iowa the daughter of Harold and Alice Goodrich Edwards.  Growing up in Oxford, she attended Oxford schools, graduating from Oxford High School in 1946.  Following this she attended cosmetology school. Joan married LeRoy Joseph Rourke on July 30, 1955, in Hannibal, Missouri.  The couple lived in Oxford where they raised their family. In the early years Joan worked alongside her mother at Town & Country Beauty Shop in Oxford.  Then she worked for several years at the Lark Supper Club in Tiffin, then at the Charmers Market in Coralville and retired from the University of Iowa from the Hillcrest Dining Hall. Joan was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oxford.   

Joan enjoyed herself a lot in her life, her family was most important and often included them in the activities she liked most. Joan could often be found talking to friends and family members on the phone, as this was very important to her.  Camping and traveling was always special, having been in 49 of the 50 states of the United States, Alaska was still waiting for her! She was a 40 year member of the Sugar Bottom Campground Bunch.  She was an avid reader, liked playing cards, walked through the doors of the casino a time or two and from her days at the restaurant, always enjoyed going out to eat.  Following the sudden death of LeRoy, she married Gordon Braatz.  These two also enjoyed traveling and spending the winters in Texas. 

Her family includes her two children, Gatana Stoner (Michael) and Terry Rourke (Stephanie); grandchildren, Sonya Moses (Korie), Brannan Stoner (Kristi), Mariah Hahn (Jeremy), Nile Rourke, and Chase Rourke; great-grandchildren, Ashton Stoner DeGroot, Alexis Moses, Andenn Moses, Akenna Moses, Brogan Stoner and Kalani Stoner, Quinn Hahn, Camryn Hahn and Beckham Hahn; stepchildren, Jeff Braatz (Lori), Brett Braatz (Patti), Carmell Tobalsky (Keith); stepgrandchildren Josh Braatz, Jessie (Jeff) Geurink, Tera (John) Tenuta, Ashley (David) Chrisinger, Brianna (Troy) Hardy, Sara (Russ) Severe; Joan’s siblings, Dick Edwards (Janis) and Connie Colony (Lynn) and sister-in-law Karen Tucker.

She was preceded in death by parents, sister-in-law, Beverly Mahoney and husbands, LeRoy J. Rourke and Gordon J. Braatz.

Joan’s family would like to say Thank You to the staff at the Solon Care Center and Iowa City Hospice for their care and dedication to caring for Joan.