JoAnn Genevieve (Wiltgen) McKenna 1937-2012

WILTGEN MCKENNA VOSS

Posted By: Connie Swearingen-Volunteer (email)
Date: 7/19/2012 at 12:25:09

Sioux City Journal
February 15, 2012

JoAnn. G. (Wiltgen) McKenna, 74, of Anthon, Iowa, formerly of Oto, died Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, at a Sioux City hospital.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Oto, with the Rev. Brian Danner officiating. Burial will be in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. today, with a vigil wake service at 7 p.m. followed by a service conducted by the V.F.W. Little Sioux Valley Auxiliary Post 9124 of Oto, at Armstrong Funeral Home in Anthon. Online condolences can be directed to the family and the full obituary can be found at armstrongfuneral.com.

JoAnn Genevieve (Wiltgen) McKenna was born Dec. 19, 1937, in Sioux City, the daughter of Edward and Rose (Voss) Wiltgen. She grew up in Sioux City and attended St. Boniface Catholic School and graduated from Heelan High School. She worked a number of years at Prince Hydraulics in the accounting and bookkeeping department.

She married Charles LaMere and became the proud independent mother of three children. The couple later divorced. On Oct. 9, 1973, JoAnn married Kenny McKenna in Sergeant Bluff and welcomed his four children into her family. JoAnn and Kenny moved to Oto in 1977, where they owned and operated Ken and Jo's until 1992. Kenny died on Oct. 10, 1992. Jo moved to her home in Anthon in 1993, where she continued to live until the present. While in Anthon, she worked at the Shell Store and developed a special friendship with Sueann Heinse.

She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church and the V.F.W. Little Sioux Auxiliary Post 9124, both in Oto. Jo enjoyed spending her summers at Lake Shetek, Minn., with her friend, Jack, the past 12 years.

Survivors include Jo's six children, Deb (Paul) Dailey of Jefferson, S.D., Julie (Tony) Collins of Anthon, Charlie (Tia) LaMere of Colorado Springs, Colo., David (Vicki) McKenna, Mark McKenna, and Julie (Kurt) Gile, all of Wichita, Kan.; 16 grandchildren, Megan (Adam) Snoozy of Omaha, Matt Dailey of Jefferson, Luke (Ashley) Collins of Des Moines, Tyler and Joey Collins of Anthon, Meg, Nick, Alex and Carly-Faith LaMere of Colorado Springs, Clayton McKenna, Krystal (Bobby) Kirby, Ryan, Matt (Janelle), and Megan McKenna, Katie Gile and Traci (Seth) Schellhamer, all of Wichita; eight great-grandchildren, Melina and Ryan Snoozy of Omaha, Emerson Collins of West Des Moines, Brileigh Kirby, Carter, Maddie and Landon McKenna and Brenton Schellhamer, all of Wichita; two brothers, Ed (Marilyn) Wiltgen of Dakota Dunes, S.D., and Ray (Peg) Wiltgen of Des Moines; three sisters, Rosie (Mike) Merrigan of Sioux City, Clara (Rich) Bernadino of St. Louis, Mo., and Nita Dammann of Rock Valley, Iowa; her special friend, Jack Longstreth of Sioux City; all the McKenna family; several nieces and nephews; and numerous good friends.

Along with her beloved husband, Kenny, JoAnn was preceded in death by her parents; and son, Pat McKenna.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family for a specific cause that will be determined at a later date.