Trending
Joanne Mae (Heck)
Kerstetter, 82, Selinsgrove
Joanne passed away peacefully in her home on Sept. 19, 2024, following a valiantly fought battle with cancer.
She is survived by her son Matthew (Jennifer); grandchildren Emily and Madelynn; sister Bernadine McCoy; niece Marti Jo McCoy; nephew Michael McCoy, and many beloved cousins. She is preceded in death by her husband Barry, son Kevin, and brother-in-law Charles McCoy, as well as many aunts and uncles.
Joanne was born on April 23, 1942 in Lewistown, to Irwin and Nellie (Helwig) Heck. There she grew up with her sister Bernadine and graduated from Chief Logan High School in 1960. She later went on to become a licensed beautician. Although she did not make this her career, many family members and friends benefited from this talent over the years. She married Barry Kerstetter in 1961 and they raised two sons, Kevin and Matthew.
At a young age, Joanne gave her life to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and faithfully served Him throughout her life. She had a heart for children and welcomed countless children and teens into her home over the years for Good News Clubs and Christmas birthday parties for Jesus. Her home was filled with many children for her Easter Good News specials and egg hunts. Many miles were put on her car delivering homemade candy and rice pudding to many friends, relatives and shut ins as well as sending small boxes of her chocolates to missionaries and military friends all over the world. Joanne also taught Sunday School for many years and helped with the Awana program at Christ Community United Methodist Church in Selinsgrove.
Joanne, Bernadine, and Marti Jo shared a special bond and enjoyed travelling, especially to attend Women of Faith events/cruises, Gaither Homecoming concerts and anything Disney related. Her love of music was evident in her singing or whistling around the house with music playing loudly in the background. She was also passionate about nature, tending to her birds and flowers as well as decorating her home for every holiday. When Penn State football was playing, she could be heard for long distances cheering them on to victory. Joanne especially loved her ice cream. She was known to share a meal with someone but never her ice cream.
As a young girl, Joanne met a missionary from Africa in her church, Rhodes Memorial church in Lewistown. She was so impacted by his smile; it became her desire to visit Africa. That dream was realized in 1994 when she went to Kenya with a Messiah College alumni work team. That was the first of 12 trips she made to East Africa. She loved her time in Africa and the experiences she had there (rafting the Nile River, numerous safaris, and swimming with sea turtles). Throughout her travels around the world, she shared her love of her Lord with everyone she met. This was her life mission and what was of utmost importance to her.
She was incredibly grateful for all the acts of love and support she received from so many people as her health declined. The many visitors, cards and phone calls kept her spirits lifted until she went home to spend eternity with her Lord. She felt blessed to be able to participate in her own "Celebration of Life" service with those who were part of her journey. Her hope was to be joined one day in heaven by her friends and family that heard the Good News.
A celebration of life service will be held at LoveHill Barn at 478 Sunanday Lane, in Allenwood on Oct. 26th at 11 a.m. There will be light refreshments and ice cream (at her request) following her celebration.