Joan M. Benke, 81, of Fort Calhoun, passed away September 12th due to injuries sustained in an accident. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, September 19 at 11 a.m. at Campbell Aman Funeral Home in Blair.

Joan M. Benke was born September 9, 1936, to Wallace L. Petersen and Helen Jahnel on a farm near Bennington. Joan lived in Irvington and Bennington before moving to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for a time, then returned to the area living in Omaha and Blair before moving to Autumn Pointe in Fort Calhoun. She worked as a cookie maker at Merchants Biscuit Company before retiring. Joan married Wallace Benke in 1959. Joan enjoyed keeping up with the local news through the weekly paper.

She is survived by stepdaughter, Carol Mitchell of Bellevue; daughter, Cindy Williams of Magalia, CA; brother, Wallace Petersen of Omaha; grandchildren: Charles (Sally) Mitchell of Bellevue and Jody (Chris) Rockafellow of Kentucky; and six great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Wallace, and her parents.

Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clipping on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.