Joann Ruth Burke

Joann Ruth (Oldfather) Burke passed away peacefully on June 14, 2024. She was born August 24, 1930, in Fayette County, Iowa to Milo A. and Helen L. Oldfather. She attended country grade school and graduated from Fayette High School in 1947. She attended the University of Dubuque and the Finley Hospital of Nursing, graduating as a Registered Nurse in 1951. She then moved to Wisconsin and was employed by the Platteville Hospital, Badger Ordinance Works and St. Claire Hospital in Baraboo. 

She married Joseph John Burke on May 29, 1954, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Baraboo. In the latter part of her career, she worked at Jefferson Meadows Care Center and the Sauk County Health Care Center in Reedsburg, WI. 

Joann was active in the St. Joseph Catholic Church, and she enjoyed serving as a volunteer at the International Crane Foundation and Stone Brook Estates Assisted Living. She enjoyed camping and hiking at Devils Lake State Park and traveling to Alaska, Canada, Europe and South Africa. In 2010, she moved to Gray, GA; in 2016 to Gallup, NM; and Sheboygan, WI in 2021. 

She is survived by her daughter Ann Burke and son, Brian (Helen), and brothers Paul (Jeanette) Oldfather and Roger (Melody) Oldfather. 

Memorials can be made to the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice.