Joan Marie McDonald passed away July 5, 2019, peacefully at her home in Waterford, with family members at her side.
Joan was born June 16, 1936, in Milwaukee, to Rose and Harold Haissig. She attended Bayview High School and Gateway Technical College and worked for General Electric Company for over 25 years.
Joan, always the matriarch of the family, which includes six children, 15 grandchildren, and two great grandchildren, lived by the words, “We are going to dance the way we want to dance, and sing what we want to sing, and make people jealous.”
Joan is survived by her siblings, Beverly Frangresh, Rose Getz, and Carol Pinneker. She is also survived by her children, Gary (Minerva) McDonald, Brian McDonald, Pamela (Mike) Lang, Robert (Paula) McDonald, Shannon Leslie and Brett (Sian) McDonald; her grandchildren, Amber, Erin, Erica, Jesse, Lydia, Lauren, Christopher, Matthew, Cody, Jack, Morgan, Sophie, Ava, Nathaniel and Helena; and her great grandchildren, Parker and Teagan. She is also survived by Adam and Aiden, whom Joan thought of, and loved as grandchildren.
Joan was preceded in death by her husband of 39 years, Matthew Robert McDonald.
All who knew Joan, knew her to be a loving, caring, spiritual woman, whose heart always had room for forgiveness.
Joan’s life embodied the words of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: “You are not a human on a spiritual journey, you are a spirit on a human journey.” Joan’s spirit has moved on to other journeys.
An open house reception will be held at Integrity Celebration Center, 2789 S. Browns Lake Drive, Burlington, on the corner of Hwy 36 and County Hwy W on July 11, 2019, from 2 to 4:15 p.m., followed by a 4:30 p.m. prayer service and balloon release.
Integrity Funeral Services is serving the family. Well-wishers may visit www.integrityfunerals.net.
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