Joan Koopman of Mineral, Washington passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 26, 2020. Joan (Johanna Theresia Hindinger) was born on March 11, 1939 in Rottau, West Germany to the late Anton and Franziska Hindinger. She met her husband, Ken Koopman, while he was serving with the U.S. Army Combat Engineers and they were married on December 24, 1958 in Wolfgang, West Germany. They moved to Rapid City, South Dakota shortly thereafter where Ken was born and raised.
Joan loved to bowl and took home a state bowling championship in South Dakota with her legendary wicked left hook and enjoyed many years of bowling in Morton with her cherished ladies team. She was also an accomplished pool player with first and second place finishes while playing with her Headquarters Tavern pool team. Joan spent many years bartending at the Wheel Cafe in Morton, WA and retired from the Headquarters Tavern in Mineral, WA after many years of service where she was affectionately known as "Joanie". In May of 1981 she was also able to add to her list of credits "Ash Queen" as she presided over "Volcano Daze" during Morton's 1st anniversary celebration of the Mount St Helens eruption. Anyone that knew her knew that she was an avid sports fan and statistician and a fierce supporter of the Seahawks and Huskies.
Joan never received a formal education but she was incredibly self-educated and knowledgeable. She learned English through her work as a nanny for American service members. Although it was her second language, it was one of her life passions and she instilled this in her children. Improper grammar was always immediately corrected in her household and saying "ain't" was a huge offense. She was well known for her wry sense of humor, keen wit, ability to recall obscure trivia and history, and her mastery of crossword puzzles.
As a true animal lover she was always surrounded by many cats and dogs over the years and would often be seen walking through the pasture with her loyal companions trailing behind her comprised of cats and dogs and in earlier years goats, cows and chickens were part of that procession.
She is survived by her devoted husband of 62 years, Ken and three children, Anthony, Mark and Heidi, four grandchildren, Brandon, Corinna, Nichole and Jarod, one great granddaughter, Charlotte and one sister, Antonie.
A celebration of Joan's life will be held at a later date.
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