Joan Thorsen

Joan Thorsen, 79, died September 27, 2007, of pancreatic cancer at her home surrounded by her family. Services will be held at 11 AM Tuesday at McCabe United Methodist Church with the Rev. Art Scanson officiating. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be held from 1 PM to 9 PM Sunday and 9 AM to 9 PM Monday at Eastgate Funeral Service. Joan Moore was born on November 12, 1927, in Kansas City, MO, to Floyd B. and Janette Rapp Moore. She lived there with her parents and her grandparents. In 1941, Joan, her parents, and her grandfather moved to Mason City, IA. She graduated from Mason City High School in 1944. Joan attended Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA, and Mason City Junior College. Joan worked as a secretary at Northern States Portland Cement Co. in Mason City. Joan met the love of her life, Leonard R. "Bob" Thorsen while in high school. They married on November 18, 1950, in Mason City. They made their home in Minneapolis. Joan worked as an executive secretary for Wert Wilson and Co. Insurance Agency until her children were born. Joan and Bob had two daughters, Janet and Barbara. Bob worked for MDU and in 1968 the family was transferred to Bismarck. In Bismarck, Joan worked as the Sangamon Card Company representative at the Kmart Store. Bob died in April of 2000. Joan's love for her family always came first. Vacations and holidays revolved around her husband, daughters, and grandchildren. Bob and Joan had vacation time share homes in Escondido, CA, and Detroit Lakes, MN, and they loved to have their family and friends visit. Joan never missed a tennis match, band or choir concert, or a parade that her grandkids were in. Joan was especially proud on August 19, 2006, when her family grew, as she watched her granddaughter, Leigh, marry Brandon Due. Joan loved to play cards, especially bridge. She was a member of many bridge clubs and considers her bridge friends as some of her closest friends. Joan was an avid reader and loved to attend the theater and see the latest movies. Joan was an active member of McCabe United Methodist Church, serving on many committees. She was a member of the Bismarck Golden K, PEO Chapter AP, the Shrine Auxiliary, and the St. Alexius Auxiliary. She was a long-time volunteer at St. Alexius, working at the reception ICU desk. Joan read for the state radio at the ND State Library reading program and also enjoyed delivering Meals on Wheels. Joan is survived by her daughters and their families, Janet and Jerry DeLange and their son, Neal, Bismarck, ND, and Barbara and Allan Jirges, Bismarck, ND, and their son, Christopher, and their daughter and son-in-law, Leigh and Brandon, Boston, MA; her sister-in-law, Wilda Thorsen; her nephew, David Thorsen and his wife, Joan, and their children, Alexandra and Alayna, Minneapolis, MN; her niece, Ann Thorsen Tackett and her children, Michael and Reidum, Minneapolis, MN; her cousins, Marion Dixon, Minneapolis, MN, and Karen and Kirk Nystrom, Topeka, KS, and their children, Matthew and Anna; Joan?s lifelong friend of 75 years, Thelma Wever and her husband, Don, Sacremento, CA; and her friend of 65 years, Jane Hogan, Dublin, CA. Joan was preceded in death by her husband, Bob; her parents, Janette and Floyd; her grandparents; and her aunts and uncles. Joan's family wishes to thank all her friends for their never ending love and support during her illness. We especially want to thank Dr. Thomas and his staff, St. Alexius Home Health and Hospice, and her special nurse and friend, Ranee Madison. You have made this time much easier with your love, knowledge, and understanding. The family prefers memorials to McCabe United Methodist Church or the Scottish Rite H.E.L.P. Center.

Joan Thorsen

November 12, 1927 - September 27, 2007