Joan M. Selover

2018 at the age of 79. She was an independent, vibrant, social, energetic,

strong friendly person who was so giving of her time and talents. She was

always eager to plan a dinner, join in on an outing or would drive cross

country to visit friends and family. She was always very good about keeping

connections with people and maintained friendships from back in her childhood

days growing up “on the range” (Nashwauk, MN).

Joan was born in Hibbing, MN to Edwin and Lily Kivi, both of whom had parents

from Finland. Her sister, Delores Madson, then came along. When her grandfather

died, they moved out to the country near Nashwauk to live with her grandmother.

Her grandmother, Hilda, only spoke Finnish and lived with them even after they

moved from Nashwauk to Minneapolis.

After graduating from Vocational High School (Minneapolis) as valedictorian,

she went on to get her Associates Degree and worked as a secretary. She met her

future husband, Bill Selover, when she went with a girlfriend to Gustavus

Adolphus College to visit her boyfriend. They eventually married and she then

worked for the president of the college. When Bill graduated, they moved to

Missouri while he went to get a master's degree. Upon his graduation, they

moved to Brainerd, MN where their daughters, Jana and Jolene, would be born.

They built a house on West Twin Lake near Pequot Lakes where a multitude of

family and friends would come to visit for summer fun or snowmobiling. Mom was

active in Sweet Adeline's, being a girl scout leader and sewing clothes during

those years.

In 1977, she was divorced, moved to the Cities to live with her parents and

daughters while she went back to school at the University of Minnesota to get a

BS degree in Tax Accounting from the Carlson School of Management. Once she

graduated and began working at Northwestern National Bank (later named Norwest

and now Wells Fargo), she was able to buy a house and move from her parents

home to just down the block. However, her parents both passed away that summer

about 6 weeks apart.

Joan kept busy working (and lots of overtime during tax season!) and keeping

busy with kids and church activities. She was missing Sweet Adeline's and so

she joined the church choir at 1st Lutheran Church of Crystal where she was

active until she was no longer able to read music due to Alzheimer's. Joan

spent many hours per week at church being involved in many committees and was

treasurer for many years. She was able to go on a mission trip to Nigeria where

she made several long-lasting friends and she continued to be involved in the

mission endowment committee until her mind would no longer allow.

Joan was quite proud of her Finnish heritage and added a wood-burning sauna to

the family home in Pequot Lakes. She often made food that is typical fare in

Finland (pulla= Finnish biscuit, mojaka=stew, rutabaga, parsnips, kropsua=

similar to pannekoeken, cranberry something or other, rye bread, riisipurro=

rice pudding with rhubarb sauce, and viili =fermented milk/yogurt which nobody

ate but her!) She was eager to teach her grandkids about Finnish culture and

had her older 2 grandkids attend Concordia Language Village Finnish Camp

(Salolampi) to start learning the language. Joan herself was going to weekly

Finnish conversation classes up until the point she could no longer drive. She

made 4 trips to Finland to search for relatives and developed bonds with some

distant cousins! She worked very hard on researching her family through

genealogy and visits to Finland. She chronicled her family history in her

legacy of Creative Memory books (about 70 of them), which she so diligently

worked on upon her retirement. She later took her daughters and their families

to Finland to meet them and visit several cities as far north as the Arctic

circle.

Joan loved to travel and went on several Elderhostel trips (New York, Door

County, Scandinavia), visited Jana in France with Jolene and did the “whirlwind

tour” of Europe, and many roadtrips around the US mostly to visit friends and

family (Maryland, California with stops in Colorado and sights along the way,

Louisiana, Wisconsin and Northern MN, and North Carolina among others). Then of

course her trip to Nigeria and several to Finland.

Joan was the poster child for how NOT to get Alzheimer's… she ate lots of

fruits, veggies and fish; exercised regularly; was very social; was in choir

and bell choir; spoke a different language and taking classes to improve her

language skills. She however, developed Alzheimer's (diagnosed in Spring 2011)

and it obviously was a very sad process to be a part of and watch. In her later

years, she was not able to communicate other than an occasional yes or no and

she definitely made it well known she did not like taking a bath/shower! She

continued to show her big, genuine smile lighting up her bright blue eyes!

Joan is preceded in death by her parents, Edwin and Lily Kivi and her sister

Delores Madson and brother-in-law, Virgil Madson. As well as her very

close-knit cousins Bob and Dick Koskinen, Judy (Koskinen) Arens, and 1st cousin

once removed, Ray Mortt.

She is survived by her two daughters, Jana (Jim Anderson) Almendinger and

Jolene (Terry) Baillargeon; grandchildren, Kylie and Luc, Jack and Beau; two

nieces, Jenni (John) Browne and Laura (Rick) Hunt; nephew Joe Madson and their

children along with many other beloved Finnish family and a multitude of

friends.

Her funeral service will be held Wednesday, January 2nd at 11 am at First

Lutheran Church of Crystal (7708 62nd Ave N, Brooklyn Park, MN).

There will be a visitation one hour prior to the service and a luncheon

following.

Interment will be at 2 pm at Sunset Memorial Park.

Memorials requested to be given to Alzheimer's Research.