Joanne Marie Lewis

JoAnne M. Lewis, 86, of Grand Island died Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at Bryan Grand Island Regional Medical Center in Grand Island.

Funeral services will be at 1:00 pm on Monday May 22, 2023 at Apfel Funeral Home in Grand Island. Reverend Beverly Hieb will officiate. Burial will be in the Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Sunday at the Apfel Funeral Home – Grand Island.

Memorials are suggested to the family to be designated at a later date.

JoAnne Marie Lewis was born June 11, 1936, on a farm near Dannebrog in Howard County, Nebraska to Chris and Maymie (Chrapkowski) Enevoldsen. She attended grade school in Boelus and high school in Dannebrog, graduating from Dannebrog High School in 1954.

She married Jerry Melsen on August 7, 1954, at St. Paul, NE. The couple made their home in Grand Island. Joanne worked the switchboard at St. Francis Medical Center, as a teller at Equitable Bank and later the courtesy counter at Skagway.

Mr. Melsen died in 1975. JoAnne later met George Ottman and they married on March 6, 1976, in Grand Island. George died in 1987. JoAnne later met Dale Lewis and on June 14, 1994, they were married in Las Vegas, NV.

Over the years she served as a den mother and scout leader for Cub/Boy Scouts, and also as a 4-H leader.

JoAnne loved to sing since childhood, she enjoyed collecting Thomas Kincade paintings and “Gone With The Wind” memorabilia. She also loved gardening.

Survivors include her husband, Dale Lewis of Grand Island; one son Michael Melsen of Las Vegas, NV; one daughter and son-in-law, Kathleen and Robin Edwards of Omaha, NE; three step-children, David Lewis of Central City, Rebecca Goyette of Central City and Natalie Sokolik of Lincoln; three granddaughters; seven step-grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Jerry Melsen and George Ottman; one sister, Phyllis Helzer; one brother, Jerome Enevoldsen; one niece and three nephews.