Joan Elder

ELDER, JOAN M., on the 18th day of April, 2013, Joan was escorted by the Holy Spirit to her eternal dwelling place. Joan, 71, was born in Cleveland, Ohio on July, 25, 1941. She was a member of St. Angela Catholic Church and graduated from Fairview Park High School in 1959 in Cleveland. Afterward, Joan went to St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Dayton, Ohio and graduated as an R.N. in 1962. During nurse's training, Joan met Patrick Elder who was in Civil engineering at the University of Dayton and they married November 24, 1962 in Cleveland and they lived their lives in Dayton where they just celebrated their Golden 50th Anniversary on November 24, 2012. Joan was preceded in death by her mother, Lillian (Burza) Kovach and her father, Samuel Kovach, both from Cleveland, Ohio. Joan is survived by her husband, Patrick, and their three children: daughter, Holly Elder Jackson Sellers and husband, Tom Sellers and their children, Lacey Jackson, Carly Jackson Arnett, Grant Sellers, Aram and (Shasta) Beam, and two great grandchildren, Riley and Uriah Beam, all of Springboro, Ohio; son, John P. Elder and wife SueLynn (Tieman) and their children Robert, Samuel, and Gregory Elder, all of Tipp City, Ohio; son, James P. Elder of Atlanta, Georgia; Joan's two brothers, Robert Kovach and wife Shirley and their 7 children, Ed Kovach and wife Mary and their two sons, all of Cleveland, Ohio; brother-in-law Jonathan Elder and wife Mary and their three children of Clarksburg, West Virginia, and sister-in-law Caren Connell and husband Robert of Simpsonville, South Carolina and three sons. A large number of University of Dayton students married nurses from St. E's and remain to this day a family to Joan and Pat, as do the high school classes of both. Joan worked as an R.N. at Fairview Park Hospital in Cleveland and at Dayton Hospitals St. Elizabeth and Good Samaritan; and at Montgomery County Developmental Center and at Siena and Brookhaven Homes for elderly patients. In 1992 Joan and Pat started a construction company, PAE & Associates, Inc. and Joan was the corporate secretary of the corporation for 20 years. Joan was a member of the Riverdale Optimist "Opti-mrs" Club for over 20 years and served as distinguished President. Joan and Pat loved to camp and travel. Joan could put up a tent for the kids in the summer or winter and later she learned to drive a 40' long RV anywhere in the U.S. Joan could handle any kind of boat and had her own personal wet bike. She loved Grand Lake St. Mary's where they visited and lived part time for over 40 years. Joan was active in many charismatic prayer groups in Dayton and in St. Henry, Ohio. She was a member of St. Paul Parish in Englewood, Ohio. She often attended Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at the Lake in Montezuma, Ohio. Joan battled ovarian cancer for five years and she will be forever missed by all of us. The family wants to thank Ms. Lisa Meredith, a faithful friend, Ms. Stacy Downs, R.N. GSN and the staff at the Hospice of Dayton and all of the doctors and nurses at both Miami Valley Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital. The family will receive friends Sunday, April 21, 2013 from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Westbrock Funeral Home at 1712 Wayne Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45410. And again on Monday, April 22nd from 8:30 a.m. until time of Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church, 1000 West Wenger Road, Englewood, Ohio 45322 Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery Mausoleum following the Mass. Luncheon to follow the cemetery service.