Joan M. Falkenburg (“Jodie”), wife of Robert, passed away peacefully on Dec. 24, 2022, at the age of 92 in her cottage, with her family nearby.
She was born on June 7, 1930, to Arthur Keiser and Myrtle (Schultz) Keiser, and raised in Sterling, Ill. She went through the school system there, then headed to Illinois College in Jacksonville, where she met her husband.
Her marriage to Bob in October 1950 was only a few months after their first date on Feb. 3, 1950, and lasted a phenomenal 72 years. They raised their three children, Michael, Debbie, and Pam, mostly in Waldwick, N.J., where they lived for 30 years.
Music was always a favorite passion of hers, singing in a variety of different choruses and active in community theater. Everyone who knows her knows she had a flair for drama. A faithful servant and prayer warrior, she was very involved at Grace Church in Ridgewood, N.J., singing in the choir, participating in the bell choir, enjoying adult fellowship, and being the church secretary. Prior to working at the church, she worked for many years at the African Inland Mission in Pearl River, N.Y. One of her biggest joys was giving to others; she always had little envelopes of money tucked away for missionaries and her church. A dream of hers was to win the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes so she could give it all away.
After retirement, she and Bob moved from New Jersey to Lempster, N.H., where they built their dream home. The family vacationed every summer on Martha’s Vineyard after her father-in-law bought a little gingerbread cottage in Oak Bluffs in 1962. They spent six months of the year there, and then moved full-time around 2000. She volunteered as a docent for the Camp Meeting Association, giving tours of the community and cottages. She loved doing this, and did it up until this past summer, at the age of 92. She amassed a wonderful group of friends in this special community, and those friendships meant the world to her.
Jodie was predeceased by her daughter Debbie, and is survived by her devoted husband Bob, son Michael (wife Cathy), Debbie’s husband Alan, and daughter Pam (husband Charlie). She was the very proud grandparent of six grandchildren, Colin, Nathanael, Aimee, Jonathan, John (Jack), and Scott. She was also great-grandmother of three great-grandchildren, Benjamin, Mason, and Cameron.
Jodie will be remembered as a caring, funny, generous, tenacious, and faithful woman. She was so very proud of her family’s accomplishments, and was happy to tell anyone about them. Her whole family was very precious to her.
A celebration of life will be held sometime on Martha’s Vineyard this coming spring or summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the MVCMA Tabernacle Restoration Fund. online at mvcma.org/giving-opportunities.html. Checks may also be written to MVCMA, with “Tabernacle Restoration” on the memo line: MVCMA, P.O. Box 1685, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
For online condolences and more information, please visit chapmanfuneral.com.
