JoAnn Riewer

JoAnn Riewer was born Darlene JoAnn Parenteau at home on August 19, 1935 in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota to her parents Louis and Florence Parenteau. She was the oldest of four children, having one brother Dale, and two sisters Joyce and Kay.

When JoAnn was 12 years old, the family moved to Thompson, North Dakota. However, JoAnn chose (begged) to go to St Joseph’s Academy – an all-girls school in Crookston, Minnesota. She started at the Academy in 8th grade and graduated from there in May 1953.

JoAnn met the love of her life, Don Riewer, at the wedding of her first cousin Ione Brooks in the fall of 1952. Don and JoAnn were married on August 22, 1953, three days after her 18th birthday. They promptly moved to Adrian, Michigan where their first child Timothy was born in June 1954. Their marriage truly was a journey as they moved to many states – Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Florida – having two more children along the way – Marc and Nancy, both born in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is a testament to her that every time Don said, “let’s try over there”, JoAnn said “let’s go”. Then she always did her best to make each move a success.

Although her most common phrase these last 14 years was “I don’t cook”, she did a lot of cooking throughout the years. She cooked at the Hattonette Café in Hatton, North Dakota which she and Don owned. She was the Head Cook of the Hot Lunch Program for Neligh Public Schools in Neligh, Nebraska. She cooked at the Imperial Steak House in Neligh which she and Don owned. So, maybe she cooked enough!

She had various other jobs throughout her life also. She was an OB scrub nurse early on in Grand Forks. She was a study hall supervisor at Neligh’s High School. However, her most common position involved office work such as a typist and bookkeeper.

A huge change in her life happened in Florida in May 1977 when she was hired for a temporary position as a clerk typist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This began a 21- year career that started in Palmetto Florida and then took her back to Nebraska to work in the Farmers Home Administration in 1979. From there, she just continued to excel. She was appointed to act as the Federal Women’s Program Manager for Nebraska in Lincoln in 1982. She received commendations for her “untiring efforts, enthusiasm, and initiative” in planning and developing what was described as “the best training seminar ever sponsored by the Federal Women’s Program”

JoAnn courageously applied for and was selected to the Administrative Officer Certification Training Program in September 1984 amid “keen competition” causing her and Don to move to South Dakota. The two - year training program led them all over the Midwest ending with her permanent position as an Administrative Officer in Stevens Point, Wisconsin in 1986. While there, she continued to excel and be promoted, and was even designated as Acting State Director for the state of Wisconsin in the absence of the current State Director, in 1997. She finally retired in May 1998 when she and Don moved to Omaha, Nebraska.

JoAnn and Don truly enjoyed their retirement years, eventually spending most of their winters in Mesa, Arizona. JoAnn loved to dance, play cards (cribbage (Tim may still owe her some money), Pitch, and Texas Hold ‘Em). She also loved to play golf, getting her first hole-in-one on Apache Wells’ golf course in Mesa at age 80. However, her biggest passion was her family. She loved spending time with them. If there was anything to do with family, she was all in. She was always the biggest cheerleader for us all and the greatest support.

JoAnn never quit trying to be a better person. From the introduction to “Dare To Be Great” in Nebraska to her exploration of her faith and finding a home with Religious Science in Florida, she continued to work on keeping a positive attitude and a spirit of gratitude. She also had an amazing work ethic, and she worked hard to instill all of these qualities in her children as well.

JoAnn died on Friday August 14, 2026 at her daughter’s home in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was preceded in death by her husband Don Riewer, her parents Louis and Florence Parenteau, her brother Dale Parenteau, and her loving companion of 8 years Bill Brandon. She will be greatly missed by her children Tim (Julie) Riewer, Marc (Char) Riewer, Nancy (Tim) Fowlkes, her grandchildren Eric (Traci), Noah, Grant (Alex), Tyler (Michelle), Kelsey (Lee), Tisha (James), Corey (Amanda), Jordan (Olivia), and Isaiah (Lauren), her sisters Joyce (Jerry) Nefs and Kaye (Len) Lasman her sister-in-law Linda Parenteau, along with 14 great grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

A Celebration of the Life of JoAnn Riewer will be held Saturday August (9/5/26) at 2:00 pm at Roeder’s Mortuary 2727 N 108th St. Omaha NE 68164

If unable to attend in person, service will be livestreamed on her online obituary.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the BrightFocus Foundation Program at brightfocus.org for research for finding treatments and a cure for macular degeneration.