Joan Elizabeth DeDene

Joan was born to Isador and Catherine (Peplinski) Bleckiner at home on Wednesday, October 08, 1930, in the front bedroom of 4713 Cope in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. The youngest of five girls. Her family was present. She tells that at the time, her sisters Ethelmae and Kathryn were sent out to buy some onions and that upon returning home they found the front door locked. Ethelmae proceeded to bang on the door and swing the bag of onions around, demanding the door be opened, and alas, the front window was broken.

She was named Joan as the result of the Blessed Mother appearing to her mother sometime prior to her birth and telling her that she would have a baby girl and that she was to name her Joan. Mom never knew the significance of this. Her middle name (Elizabeth) was in honor of her mother’s younger sister who passed away at the age of 17.

Joan graduated from St John Berchmans with aspirations of going to Providence Hospital Nursing School. Unfortunately, the untimely death of her father put a financial strain on the family, so she went to work instead. Joan had several careers throughout her life. Taking time out between them to have and care for her family. Her first job was as a store manager for the Awrey Bakery Company in Detroit. She then worked as a Nurse's Aide at Saratoga Hospital, also in Detroit, and finally for 20-plus years at St. Joan of Arc Parish in St. Clair Shores as a Religious Education Teacher and Program Coordinator for their Catholic Rite of Initiation for those wanting to become Catholics.

Her Catholic faith played a central role throughout her life. She attended daily Mass up until her illness with shingles, prayed the rosary daily and as noted earlier shared that faith with others in their quest to enter the Catholic faith. In her younger years she sang in the St. Joan of Arc Choir.

Joan was happily married for 55 years to Frank who passed away in 2005. Together they had 5 boys (ironic) - David, Darryl (Margaret), Duane, Derek (Dian) and Dorian. In addition to her 5 boys, she has 6 grandchildren – Jessica (Daniel), Catherine, Laura, Charles, Justin and Christopher (Rita) and 6 great grandchildren – Grace, Jake, Mathew, Michael, Elizabeth and Daniel.

She loved to travel and with Frank and her boys, she traveled throughout Michigan, the United States and Europe. She also enjoyed spending her summers in the little Upper Peninsula town of Grand Marais basking in nature and the vast expanses of Lake Superior shoreline. Her and Frank loved it so much that they eventually purchased their own piece of paradise.

Joan was an accomplished oil and pastel artist. She applied her skill to landscape pictures, hobby horses for the grandkids, sweatshirts, inspirational rocks, and fairy tale pictures for family newborns. You name it she probably has painted it. In addition to painting, Joan was a voracious reader. She has read hundreds of books over her lifetime with a good spy/intrigue novel being her favorite type. However, she could fall for Ann of Green Gables too. Not only did she read a great deal, she also wrote a great deal. The shelves in her office area are filled with handwritten stories from children’s books (some illustrated by her) to random thoughts on her life, to poems to accounts of her travels.

She will be truly missed and will be remembered as a wonderful and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. One couldn’t ask for better.

An In-state will occur Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 9:30 AM until the time of the funeral mass at 10:00 AM at St. Joan of Arc Parish Center, 22412 Overlake St., St. Clair Shores, Michigan 48080.

Donations in memory of Joan are suggested to the National Shingles Foundation or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You can visit Charity Navigator.org to donate.