Joan Wilsa Peelen Ritsema

Joan (Joanie) Peelen Ritsema, 88, of Cary, NC, died on March 22, 2026. Joanie was born on June 2, 1937, to Daisy and William Peelen in Kalamazoo, MI. She graduated from University High School in Kalamazoo and attended Hope College, where she majored in history and psychology. Joanie met and began dating Ray Ritsema during her sophomore year at Hope. They were married from 1960 until her death.

Joanie’s favorite word was “kindness.” She expressed it through the way she lived her life along with the other fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. She loved books and enjoyed reading and studying scripture daily.

Important parts of Joanie’s time were spent volunteering at her church and garden club. She cultivated her own beautiful gardens and enjoyed UNC basketball, food with lots of butter, and creative endeavors like drawing and fiber arts. She was quiet and generous and recently became a great-grandmother.

This tender heart will be missed by her husband, Ray; her children, Daisy (Tom) and Lee (Jode); her grandchildren, Carson, Sam, Luke (Montgomery), and Logan; her great-grandchild, Myers; and her sister, Julie, as well as numerous family and friends.

A memorial service will be held at White Memorial Presbyterian

Church, Raleigh, NC, on Tuesday, March 31, at 2:00 PM. Please wear joyful colors to the service if so moved.

Donations may be made in her memory to Transitions LifeCare.