Joann M. Jones

JoAnn Margaret Kragnes Jones was a beautiful, strong, funny woman.

She was born on June 28, 1959 in Fargo, North Dakota. She grew up on the family farm near Felton, Minnesota, driving trucks and hoeing beets.  She attended Averill Elementary School and graduated with the 1977 Class at Glyndon-Felton High School.  She earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from St. Thomas University in St. Paul.  She later moved to Mesa, Arizona where she met and married Dan Jones and had twin daughters Bridget and Natalie.  While there she earned her Masters of Business Administration from Arizona State University.  The family later moved to Altoona, Wisconsin where they lived for many years.  JoAnn moved to Moorhead, in 2014 to be closer to her family, especially her mother Margret.

JoAnn fought against the disease of alcoholism, and through her struggles taught her daughters how to never give up.  No matter how hard her life was, she was always gracious, loving and hilariously sarcastic.

JoAnn was a fighter.  Despite being a double minority – a Lutheran woman in the first class of women allowed to attend the previously all-male Catholic college – she shone brightly as a brilliant leader and scholar.  She met challenges head-on, and never backed down if she could help it.  Where many people would be daunted by the idea of earning a Master’s degree while simultaneously caring for twin newborns, JoAnn welcomed the challenge and proved herself to be more than equal.  She passed along her tenacity and determination to her two daughters, of whom she was exceedingly proud.

JoAnn was creative and soulful.  One of her mantras was: “if you want to raise creative children, you have to withstand a little mess”.  She fully believed in the power of the creative and dramatic arts, and taught both of her daughters how to sew, sing, and act in theater.  She was a self-proclaimed “drama queen”, quick to act out any scene or break into a musical number as the occasion demanded.  She readily helped her daughters with any crafts and costumes that they created – including Natalie’s prom dress (which they frantically finished just minutes before the photos were taken).  She selflessly gave of her time to care for her family, and frequently annoyed her daughters in their teenage years with her cheerful insistence on preparing snacks and meals for their many parties and sleepovers.  Always the gracious hostess, JoAnn became an expert at planning gatherings of friends and family, including for her daughters’ 14-best-girlfriends.

JoAnn was a skilled business woman.  As a Certified Internal Auditor and CPA, she worked in multiple management financial administrative positions, including an extensive period of time as the Chief Financial Officer at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, WI.  She was also proud when Bridget asked to simply exchange the last of her baby teeth for money instead of waiting for the tooth fairy because it showed good negotiation skills.

JoAnn was at her best when she was helping; whether at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, at The Chippewa Valley Care Coalition, planning the historic Averill class reunion, or caring for her mother toward the end of her life, she always found joy in serving others.

JoAnn was a faithful Christian woman, finding strength in the Lord, maintaining her strong beliefs throughout many trials in her life, and passing her devotion on to her daughters.  But watch out St. Peter, we know Heaven might be in a bit of turmoil once JoAnn starts making suggestions for reorganization!

JoAnn was preceded in death by her parents, Russell and Margret Kragnes.  She is survived by her daughters Natalie (Ben) Baitcher and Bridget Jones, her siblings Amy (Gary Krause) Kragnes, David (Peggy) Kragnes, and Verna (Rick Hall) Kragnes, six nieces and nephews, and three grand-animals.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 25, 2019, at 2:00 P.M., with visitation from 1:00 to 2:00 P.M., at Concordia Lutheran Church in rural Glyndon. Coffee will be served following the service.