Joan Sylvia Moen, age 86, passed away peacefully at home Thursday, July 25, 2022. At her side were her son, Kevin, and his wife, Deanna. She had been in declining health for several years.
She was born at home Jan. 29, 1936, in Detroit, the third child and only daughter of Roman and Mary (Glowienka) Aschenbrenner. She attended schools in Detroit, and Au Gres, Mich.
Following her father’s retirement from the Detroit P.D., the family relocated in 1945 to Au Gres, on Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay, where the family had a weekend cottage. “Joanie” initially thought of this as “the worst day of my young life.” However, she later spoke fondly of her friendships and memories of life there, where her father was the proprietor of a hardware store. She graduated from Au Gres High School in 1954. Eventually, Joan returned to Detroit, where she found employment as a bookkeeper.
In January 1958, her friend, Bea Lynch, introduced her to a fella she knew named Art Moen. Soon they were a couple, and it wasn’t too long before he was accompanying her on weekend visits to Au Gres. And it must have been love when they traded cars (that way his new, ’57 Chevy Belair would be garaged at night.) Art and Joan were united in Holy Marriage on July 11, 1959, at Au Gres.
The harsh, Michigan winter of 1959-60 and Southern California’s burgeoning Aerospace industry was the impetus for their move there in late 1960, where they would spend the next 37 years. Roman accompanied them, Joan’s mother having passed in 1957.
They first resided in Monterey Park, where Kevin was born the following summer. This led to the purchase of a new home in Covina — four doors down from Joan’s brother, Jim, and his family, having left Michigan not long after. Joan became a devoted wife and mother, happy to be a “homemaker.”
They were among the first parishioners of the newly-established St. Louise de Marillac Catholic Church in Covina. The family grew over the next eight years with the births of Brian, Stacey and Kimberly, and all attended its grade school. Joan was active in the choir and the ladies pinochle club for 35 years.
Once Kimberly reached high school, Joan returned to bookkeeping, working for her elder brothers in their automobile transport businesses.
In 1997, Art, Joan and their two adult sons, seeking greener pastures, relocated to Gem County, Idaho. Art, Joan and Kevin eventually settled in Moscow in 2004.
Joan was loved by many and especially enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren. Grateful for having shared her life are her son Kevin (Deanna), of Moscow; son Brian (Diane), of Rathdrum, Idaho; daughters Stacey (Marcus) Azuela, and Kimberly (Tom) Butler, of Emmett, Idaho; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; brother Dennis (Claudia), of Bentley, Mich.; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Joan was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and brothers Robert and James.
Recitation of the rosary will take place at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday with a funeral Mass following at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, in Moscow. A reception will follow in the family center.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic School Foundation.
Short’s Funeral Chapel of Moscow is in charge of arrangements and condolences may be left at shortsfuneralchapel.com.
