Joanne L. Herring

Joanne Lucille (Nelson) Herring passed away May 27, 2024, in Blair, Nebraska at the age of 70 years. She was born to Boyd and Pearl (Williams) Nelson on December 8, 1953, in Lakefield, Minnesota and grew up with her siblings on farms in Southwestern Minnesota. She enjoyed being raised in the country and fondly recalled riding her horse, Beauty. Joanne gained a collection of 4-H ribbons at county and state fairs for her talents in dairy, clothing, and food. Upon graduating from Ruthton High in 1972, she attended Canby Vo-Tech, where she pursued a Secretarial degree. She met her future husband, Scott, on a triple date! Surprisingly, all the couples wed, with Joanne and Scott marrying March 22, 1975. Soon after, the couple moved to Omaha, Nebraska following Scott’s teaching and computer programming careers.

Joanne and Scott became members of Faith Westwood United Methodist Church shortly after moving to Omaha, where she took part in many small groups and enjoyed teaching Sunday school, and cooking and baking for potlucks, ice cream socials, and craft fairs.

Melissa and Jessica were the pride and joy of Joanne’s life. In their younger years she sewed many of their clothes, which were the highlight of many family portraits. Joanne instilled in her daughters a love for cooking and baking, and they treasure her recipes and Pyrex/Tupperware, which are lovingly used often. Ask the girls for her banana bread recipe - it never disappoints! She ran a small in-home daycare before transitioning to work outside of the home in secretarial positions with Millard Public Schools, Bell Federal Credit Union, and other offices. She loved working on the phones with people and easily developed a rapport with co-workers and clients.

After 40 years in their home in Millard, they sold in 2019 and moved to Orchard Village Townhomes, where they thoroughly enjoyed retirement. After Joanne’s health declined in 2022, she moved into long-term care at Azria Health Midtown, easily making friends with caretakers and residents.

Joanne is lovingly remembered by her children Melissa (Dennie) Arnold and Jessica (Craig) Ryan; grandchildren Chloe (Blake) Peterson and Grant Arnold; siblings Chuck (Colleen) Nelson, Dora (Allen) Rupp, Mike (Julie) Nelson, Julie Houselog, and Jim (Tami) Nelson; and nieces, nephews, and other family and friends. She is preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, Scott Herring, parents, Boyd and Pearl Nelson, and grandchildren Korbin Arnold and Mason Ryan.