Joan A. Rather

Service Details

In keeping with Joan’s last wishes, a private service will be held.

Memorial Suggestions

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Joan’s memory to the RAREA Scholarship Fund which helps local high school and college students reach their dreams to become educators. Gifts can be mailed to RAREA, 744 Sunnyview Dr., Racine, WI 53406.

Joan A. Rather, 93, of Racine, after a brief illness, passed away at her residence on Friday, November 15, 2024. She was born on August 26, 1931, the daughter of the late Herbert J. and Florence F. (nee Hansen) Pokrandt. Her parents always told her she arrived on the hottest day of the year.

Her childhood days were spent happily in Oshkosh. As a teenager, she and her friends enjoyed swimming, fishing and boating all summer long after the family bought a cottage at Lake Rest on Lake Winnebago.

Believing in the value of education, Florence and Herb worked hard to pay for Joan and her younger sister to go to college. In 1954, Joan received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Oshkosh State College and soon moved to Appleton, WI to teach Kindergarten.

On June 15, 1957, Joan was united in marriage to fellow teacher and love of her life, Frank Richard Rather, who was teaching up north in Valders. Soon tiring of the long commutes to be together on the weekends, they moved to Racine in 1958, one of the few places that would allow married couples to both teach.

Next, Joan put her career on hold to concentrate on her new role as mother, first to a daughter, Julie, born in 1959 and then a son, John, born in 1964. When John began first grade, she went back to teaching. Starting part time at Hilltop Preschool, she eventually landed her dream job with Racine Unified, teaching Kindergarten at Goodland Elementary School, eventually being awarded the state’s District Elemetary Teacher of the Year for 1986-1987. Altogether, she taught and nurtured school children for over 33 years.

Her beloved husband died unexpectedly at age 50 on July 21, 1981 and Joan flew solo after that. But, she was happy to spend quality time with her family and many caring friends, especially her poker and bridge club buddies.

Following her retirement from Goodland in 1994, Joan volunteered in Goodland classrooms, helped present Old Time Radio shows in nursing homes for Read and Remember and taught Conflict Resolution methods to children in Childcare Centers. Joan belonged to Delta Kappa Gamma Professional Educators, the NEA, the WREA, the REA and the Racine Area Retired Educators Association (RAREA), where she served as Membership Chair and Co-Chair for many years.

Joan was a former member of Christ Church United Methodist, Franksville United Methodist and, finally, following her pastor, Rev. Kaye Glennon, of Sacred Journeys Spiritual Community.

She went on many trips over the years, visiting Hawaii, European countries most of the states and Canada. Her children are lucky she kept such good notes and took lots of photos of the family’s adventures as they traveled around the country in a truck camper.

Joan was an avid reader and belonged to the Racine Library’s Book Discussion Group. She could play the piano, autoharp, ukulele, church bells and sing beautifully, much to the delight of her students.

Until arthritis took its toll, she knitted sweaters, scarves and mittens for the family. Long ago she knitted tiny outfits for Julie’s Barbie Dolls.

In her own words, Joan would like to be rembered as “having a good sense of humor, having loved children, especially her own, and animals, and that she was a homebody.” In later years, whenever anyone asked how she was doing she would reply, “Slow But Sure!”

Surviving are her daughter, Julie Rather, of Racine; son and daughter-in-law, John and Laura (nee Porcaro) Rather, of Waukesha; sister, Dorothy ‘Lil Sis’ Gayhart-Kunz, of Oshkosh; nephew, Jim Gayhart, and family, Alexandria, VA; nephew, Jon Gayhart, and family, De Pere, WI; and many nieces, nephews and their families on her husband’s side.

Her family is greatful for the excellent attention given to Joan these last few months and days from the home caregivers at BrightStar Care, most especially from Juvy, Joan’s “daughter from another country,” and from the hospice caregivers at Vitas Healthcare.