Joan Y. Breternitz

She was born in Townsend, WI on March 16, 1935, the daughter of Jacketta (Burt) Cole and Victor Cole. Joan graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy, Green Bay, WI in 1953. She moved to the Denver area in 1961 where she worked as a bookkeeper for several businesses including a Ford dealership and the Denver Merchandise Mart. She and her late husband, Bill A. Breternitz retired in 1996 and moved to La Veta in southern CO. Joan and Bill loved their view of the majestic Spanish Peaks.

She is survived by her children J. Scott Leurquin, New York, NY; Nina Kelly and her husband Mike, Brighton, CO; Julie Shoemaker, Albuquerque, NM; Christopher Leurquin and his wife Debbie, Appleton, WI; and Dawn Bascue, Denver, CO.

Joan is further survived by five grandchildren, Jeremiah Robenhorst and his wife Melissa, Joshua Shoemaker and his wife Katie, Jennifer Jones and her husband Tim, Jacob Shoemaker and his wife Jacqueline, and Samantha Kelly; and 11 great-grandchildren. She will be much missed by them and many friends and family, especially those at Inglenook of Brighton, where she lived for the past couple of years.

In addition to her parents and husband, she is preceded in death by a brother, Bruce Cole, and a great-grandchild, Noah Jones.

A memorial service will be held later this summer.