Myrtle Joan Atwood 1939 - 2019

ATWOOD, SCHIMBERG

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/12/2019 at 19:04:00

Sioux City Journal
10 July 2019

Sioux City

On the morning of July 8, 2019, Myrtle Joan Atwood, 79, of Sioux City, Joan or Joanie to family and friends, passed away peacefully at home after winning a courageous and debilitating five-year battle with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Memorial services to honor and remember her life will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Westlawn Presbyterian Church, 2521 W. Fourth St., in Sioux City, with the Rev. Paul Speidel officiating. At the conclusion of the memorial, all are invited to a lunch downstairs in the Westlawn Presbyterian Fellowship Hall.

Graveside services will be in Memorial Park Cemetery, 6605 Morningside Ave. Joan's family will receive friends at a public viewing at 10 a.m. until service time Saturday at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel, 3220 Stone Park Blvd., in Sioux City.

Joan was born at home to Joseph and Laura Schimberg, on Nov. 20, 1939, in Le Mars, Iowa. A lifetime resident of Sioux City, Joan was a proud 1959 Central High School graduate.

On Nov. 25, 1959, she married the love of her life, Harley Clair Atwood. After high school, Joan worked for the S.S. Kresge Company in their pet department. She retired in 2001 from the Sioux City Community School District's Nutrition Department.

During Joan's life, she served as a rock to her family as a loving wife, caring mother, doting grandmother and delighted great-grandmother. When not caring for her family, Joan was a pillar of Westlawn Presbyterian Church, avid league bowler and golfer. In the summer, she would often be found tending to her garden and in the winter she would be proudly displaying her Christmas lights for the community to enjoy. When she was not involved in these activities, Joan could be found playing bingo, finding new recipes to prepare for family and friends, or baking her famous banana bread.

Joan is survived by her husband of nearly 60 years, Harley Clair; her three children, William "Bill" (Becky), Michael "Mike" (Loretta), and Lorna Jones (Tony); five grandchildren, Tony, Lindsey, Jennifer, Melissa and Andrew; 10 great-grandchildren; a sister, Barbara Clausen; and many friends and relatives.

Joan was preceded in death by her father, Joseph Schimberg; her mother, Laura Schimberg; father-in-law, Harley Atwood; mother-in-law, Dorothy Atwood; her sisters, Mary Torno and Loretta Schimberg; and her brother, Joe D. Schimberg.