Joan M. Eggert

Joan M. Eggert, age 94, of Woodbury, was born into eternal life on July 21, 2026 while surrounded by beloved family.

Joan is preceded in death by her husband, Thomas; granddaughters Allyson Job & Teresa Hatfull; and companion Jack Anderson. She is survived by her children, Kathy (Paul) Tacke, Mary Jeanne (Vincent) Johnson, Paul (Mary) Eggert, Jim (Katie) Eggert, Dianne (Keith) Hatfull; grandchildren David Tacke, Elizabeth (Jonathan) Guidroz, Laura (John) Gislason, Jason Yankovec, Tony (Jen) Yankovec, Sabrina (Mike) Doyle, Nick (Sara) Johnson, Jackie Rowan, Amanda Eggert, Margaret (Josh) Stuempert, Heather Hatfull, Eric (Abby) Hatfull, and Rebecca Hatfull; 11 great-grandchildren; brother John (Joan) Chouinard; sister-in-law Joyce Chouinard; brother-in-law Bill Shaloub; Jack’s children and grandchildren Brad (Linda) Anderson, Kim (Mike) Carlson, Aiden and Kevin Carlson; as well as many nieces, nephews and dear friends.

It's hard to condense 94 and 3/4 years well lived into a simple obituary. Joan was a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother/nana, and friend. She was also an activist, seamstress, crafter, teacher, and most importantly a devout Catholic.

Joan was born and raised in Minneapolis as the oldest of four children born to Casper and Ann Chouinard. She lived there until her senior year of high school when her parents relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There she married Tom, whom she met when he was the trumpeter in the band for her school dances. She stood out to Tom as the “String of Pearls girl”, as that was the song she requested at every dance.

They married when she was a young woman of 19 and they shared 52 years together until Tom’s death from cancer in 2002. During those 52 years, they raised five children with Kathy, Mary Jeanne, and Paul being born in Milwaukee and Jim and Dianne following after their move to Richfield when Tom was hired on at Whirlpool. It was in Richfield that she expanded her sewing beyond her family and became a seamstress extraordinaire for friends, neighbors, and her church. She even took in ironing in the era when everything (even sheets, underwear, and hankies!) was ironed. They worked hard and sacrificed to send their children to Catholic schools, but the home was always filled with fun and laughter, games, puzzles, and music. It was also here that she began her reputation as an activist. With the growth of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, came lots of late-night maintenance noise. She was instrumental in establishing the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) noise abatement procedures that are still in use today.

When the family moved to West Lakeland Township in 1972, she expanded her repertoire of skills to include staining woodwork, canning enough food for the entire year from her huge garden, and becoming the Director of Religious Education at St. Francis of Assisi parish. She was also an active volunteer for MCCL and she continued her activism by fighting the proposed move of the existing HWY 12 (now HWY 94) half a mile north, which would have put it right next to Oak-Land Jr. High. She also began sewing aprons for her brother Chuck’s Jellystone Campground staff (which left the kitchen covered in brown and orange dust for years) and crafting. She would sew jewelry pouches, easter baskets, baby blankets, aprons, quilts, Christmas tree skirts (you name it, it was there!), and have a boutique every fall in her basement.

After 13 wonderful years and memories in that house they built together, Tom was transferred to Danville, Kentucky. She finally got the fancy brick house with a formal dining room that she always wanted, and it was even finished before they moved in! She once again became entrenched in the fabric of the community, volunteering for RCIA at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, becoming an extraordinary eucharistic minister bringing communion weekly to several elderly ladies, joining the church’s prison ministry (for which she won a volunteer of the year award from the diocese). She also had a grand sewing room in this house where she was able to make exquisite window treatments, comforters, dust ruffles, pillows, and seat cushions for many clients (including Centre College and country singer John Michael Montgomery, along with updating many of the beautiful historic homes in the area). She even had an opportunity to make a flashy tie for Johnny Carson’s trumpeter Doc Severinson. Most of all though, she loved entertaining her family when they would come from Minnesota for visits. She always had many fun day trips planned to make sure everyone saw something interesting and had a good time. It was here that she also took in her oldest three grandchildren--Laura, Jason, and Tony--for the summers for several years, providing them with tutors, music lessons, a membership to the local pool, and chores!

After Tom retired, they relocated back to Minnesota just a mile from where Dianne, Keith, and Heather settled in Woodbury. They all became founding members of the newly relocated St. Ambrose Catholic Church, and once again Joan became indispensable to her faith community. She attended daily Mass, volunteered on the RCIA team, was a founding member of the Ambrosians senior group (serving many funeral lunches as one of that group’s missions), and forming many very close friendships that carried into a vibrant social life outside of church. She also served school lunches for years (even after her grandchildren had moved on from the school) and sewed baptismal garments for the children and adults. Whatever was needed, she was there to help. She also babysat grandchildren Margaret, Heather, and eventually Eric three days a week until Tom started chemo treatments.

Several years after Tom passed, she met Jack Anderson through Ambrosians. They made vows and shared many years together filled with friendship, support, travel, conversation, and caring for one another. Jack brought comfort and happiness to Joan during the later years of her life, and their time together was deeply meaningful to both. They were very involved in the lives of their younger grandchildren during these years, attending school events and extracurricular activities. Her sewing during these years was geared toward charity, making pjs for Sharing and Caring Hands, baby blankets and bonnets for the preemies at the hospital where Kathy worked in the NICU, and hundreds of masks during COVID. She also made Christmas stockings for all the grandkids when they were born and made Christmas tree skirts for all before her eyes failed. In the evenings during these years, she spent her time knitting dish cloths and kitchen towels that she loved to give to everyone she met.

Following some health issues for Joan and Jack in December 2024, she had to sell her home and move in with Dianne and Keith who, along with Joan’s other children, cared for her lovingly at home for the remainder of her days.

Mass of Christian Burial to be held at 11 AM on Friday, August 7, 2026 at ST. AMBROSE OF WOODBURY, 4125 Woodbury Drive. Visitation will begin one hour before the service. Interment at Resurrection Cemetery.

Memorials preferred to New Life Family Services or St. Ambrose of Woodbury.