Joan Helen Wittrock, of La Mesa, California, passed away June 30, 2023, in Chula Vista, California.
She was the daughter of Carl and Marie Wittrock. She was born in Falls City on Dec. 10, 1931. She grew up on a farm, attending a one-room schoolhouse through eighth grade. The family moved to town when she was 12, where she attended Falls City High School. She worked for her father’s Wittrock dairy and drive-in while in high school.
She then attended Valparaiso University in Indiana for two years. After being back in Falls City for a year, she moved to Lincoln, where she worked for an insurance company and then as a Navy Ordinance Inspector for Elgin Watch Company. Shortly thereafter she returned to college at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and graduated with a teaching degree in 1956.
She then moved to California and spent most of her career teaching fifth grade in Lemon Grove. She then became the Title I teacher. During that time, she was instrumental in getting an RV converted into a computer classroom that traveled to the district schools. She also served 10 years as president of the Lemon Grove Teacher’s Association and served as a member of the California Teacher’s Association State Council.
Jo was the choir director at Faith Lutheran Church for 20 years and continued her musical interest by playing her trumpet and singing in the choir at Christ Lutheran Church in La Mesa.
After retiring from teaching, she became very active with the California Retired Teachers Association, both local and statewide, and was editor of the East County Retired Newsletter. For 15 years, Jo was a member of the Retired Senior Voluntary Patrol with the La Mesa Police Dept. She also worked as a volunteer at the San Diego Airport for 10 years.
Joan is survived by her sister, Betty Hayes of La Mesa; brother, John Wittrock and his wife Susan of Birmingham, Michigan; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Joan was preceded in death by her mother and father and by a sister, Jean Sandvig of Hampton, Iowa.
A gatthering of family and friends will be Thursday, July 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Volzke Funeral Home in Seward. A memorial service for Joan will be held at Christ Lutheran Church in La Mesa at a later date.
