Joan entered into eternal peace on Thursday morning, June 5, 2025 at Homestead in Shenandoah.  Memorials are suggested to the Shenandoah United Methodist Church, Shenandoah Public Library or Aseracare Hospice.  Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at the Shenandoah United Methodist Church at 10:30 a.m.  Burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery.  The family will greet friends at the funeral home on Tuesday evening, from 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Joan Reve' Reese was born August 18, 1932 in Hamburg, Iowa to Myron Alvin and Daisy Elizabeth (Barrow) Reese.  Joan passed peacefully from this world on June 5, 2025 in Shenandoah, Iowa.

Joan's early life was spent on a farm SE of Farragut, Iowa.  She attended country schools (Maple Grove and Cottonwood) through the 7th grade, sometimes walking the mile to school and sometimes riding her pony, then attended school at Farragut until graduation in 1950.  While in high school Joan participated in many activities, including band, chorus and basketball.  The highlight of her basketball career was winning the Sectional and District free throw contests her senior year.  Joan's mother made her a really cute white satin uniform complete with midriff top and bloomer bottoms for these contests.

After graduation Joan attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln for 2 ½ years before interrupting her studies to marry Edwin R. (Pete) Hamilton while he was stationed in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  By herself, and free as a bird, Joan drove Pete's blue Chevrolet convertible all the way from Shenandoah, Iowa to Albuquerque, NM to marry the love of her life on April 2, 1953.  The happy couple returned to live in Shenandoah after 8 months in New Mexico.  From this union, four children were born; Sonia Lynn, 12/28/1954, Steven Ross, 9/9/1957, Sandra Lee, 3/3/60, and Shelly Rene, 1/28/1963.  Joan resumed her education at Tarkio College, graduating in December, 1968.  She taught business education at Essex High School for 28 years, and Iowa Western Adult Education night classes for 20 years.  Upon retirement from teaching in 1997, she established the Joan Hamilton Scholarship Fund at Essex High School.  Joan had the pleasure of awarding these scholarships for several years at graduation.

In addition to teaching, Joan kept busy with her many professional and social organizations and clubs, holding high positions in several.  An award she was very proud of was the Iowa High School Business Educator of the Year in 1990.  She was a member of the Essex Education Association, Iowa State Education Association, lifetime member of the National Education Association, and Iowa Business Education Association.

Joan was also a member of the board that chartered Our House Daycare and served as president one term.  She was elected into membership in Delta Pi Epsilon and Delta Kappa Gamma.  Joan joined Sigma Kappa Sorority while in college and became a life member.  She has been a member of the First United Methodist Church, Shenandoah, since transferring after her marriage in 1953, where she was very active as well. Both Pete and Joan belonged to several bridge clubs, one club lasting more than 50 years.  Joan loved playing cards and was very competitive and played at a high level.  This competitive attitude also came out while playing cards with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, showing them no mercy!

Pete and Joan loved nothing more than long camping weekends at local campgrounds with the 4 kids, often meeting other families there for a group camp. Longer vacations with the kids resulted in travels to California, Yellowstone and Minnesota, to name a few.  In later years, Pete and Joan thoroughly enjoyed traveling to all 50 states and to too many countries to count, having great adventures, meeting new friends and taking a LOT of pictures!

Joan, along with Pete, was a huge supporter of every activity the children were involved in. She was a Girl Scout leader and Cub Scout den leader for many years, and attended every band concert, parent meeting, play, performance, and Special Olympic event. She loved playing games with her family, and ALWAYS cards.

Also in their retirement, Pete and Joan would take one or two grandkids at a time on a camping vacation.  The grandkids got to travel to Canada, New Mexico, California, North Carolina and many other places.  Pete and Joan were Winter Texans for a few years, spending the cold months in Trophy Garden, Texas, where many more friends were met and made.

Joan enjoyed sewing for the entire family, making matching dresses for the girls, leisure suits for Pete and Steve, bedspreads, swimsuits.  You name it, she could make it.  Later in life she began quilting and produced many gorgeous quilts.  Joan was also involved in the Shenandoah Hospice program, making quilt labels and then delivering them to hospice patients.

Another great love of Joan's was cooking and baking. The kids and grandkids had their favorites, and she made sure something was always on hand for their visits. She had an extensive collection of cookbooks and made a point of making at least one recipe from every book.

Joan was many things to many different people.  Those who knew her and loved her will remember her as a friendly, helpful and caring person who always loved to be around people.  Her students remember her affectionately as tough but fair, and as an excellent and caring teacher.

Joan was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Pete Hamilton, her parents, her in-laws, Pete and Mary Hamilton, a sister Marceline Jean Reese, and great-granddaughter Grace Elizabeth Price.  She is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren Sonia Michels and partner John of Elgin, IL, John (Kara) Michels and Ronan of Indiana, Evan (Paola) Michels of Texas, Steve and wife Lee-Anne Hamilton of Gardner, KS, Erica (Chad) Price, Christian and Cameron, Amanda (Mark) Shore, Josie and Mason, Crystal (Jeff) Buckingham, Lauren and Jonathon, Stephanie Hamilton and Max Hamilton all of Kansas, Sandra Crowdes and partner Steve of Shenandoah, IA, Nathan (Sarah) Crowdes, Henry and Riley of Colorado, Zach (Courtney) Crowdes, Charlotte and Sawyer of Iowa and Shelly Hamilton of Shenandoah, IA; other relatives and friends.

Life is worth living, if you make the living worthwhile.

A few of Joan's famous recipes...

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Sift these ingredients:             Mix these ingredients:

1 ½ cup flour

1 cup sugar

½ tsp soda

1 tsp salt

¼ cup nutmeg

¾ cup cinnamon
¾ cup shortening

1 egg, beaten

1 cup mashed bananas

1 ¾ cup Oatmeal

½ cup chopped nuts

Cut shortening into dry mix.  Add egg, banana, oatmeal and nuts.  Blend well.  Drop onto baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 350°.

Scotcharoos

Aka Hamilton Fat Bars

In a saucepan combine

1 cup sugar and 1 cup white corn syrup.  Mix well.

Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and mix well.  Remove from heat and add 5 cups rice krispies.  Mix well.

Pat into cake pan.

Melt 12 oz chocolate chips and 12 oz butterscotch chips together and mix well.  Pour over top of rice krispies and let set.