Joanne Barbara Schultz

COTTAGE GROVE - Joanne B. Schultz, age 100, of Cottage Grove, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, in her cozy new apartment at Drumlin Reserve. She was born on October 3, 1925, in Janesville, the first of five children born to Lawrence and Margaret (Bick) McQuade. Joanne's dad passed away while she was still a teenager, and Joanne worked as a medical stenographer to help her family. She graduated from Janesville High School in 1944. Throughout her life, Joanne radiated joy, unconditional love, positivity, acceptance and gratitude toward everyone she met.

Joanne married Ronald Schultz on June 1, 1946. They rented farms in the Janesville area until 1951 when, together with Ron’s parents, they bought a dairy and cash crop farm near Cottage Grove. There they lovingly raised their 10 children and worked together as a family for over 50 years. In addition to farming, Joanne sewed clothes for her family and maintained a huge garden, large enough to have extra for canning and freezing to feed their whole family all year round. She baked 13 loaves of bread every week, kneading it with the hand crank mixer; the 14th portion of dough became cinnamon-coconut rolls. Her family fondly remembers Joanne’s massive batches of sugar cookies, cherry soup, lutefisk, lefse, oyster stew and applesauce. There was always room for more people around Joanne's table and she welcomed all with her compassionate heart and generous spirit. She saw the best in everyone and loved and accepted all of us equally and unconditionally. We each genuinely felt in our hearts that we were her favorite. Because we were.

From the time she and Ron moved to Cottage Grove, Joanne was a faithful member of St. Patrick Catholic Church, where she was the ultimate Church Lady. She made sure her whole family was in from milking and filling a pew at Mass every weekend. Joanne was a member of the Altar Society, worked at funeral dinners, church fund-raisers, and many social events. After their families had grown, she and her sister, Therese, walked over a mile together each way to daily Mass and had a great time sharing coffee with friends afterwards, especially during First Friday gatherings. Throughout her 100 years, and despite the many changes in the church and struggles and hardships in her personal life, Joanne's faith never wavered. She embodied God's love and was a shining example to her family of how to handle grief and loss with resilience and optimism.

Never one to decline an invitation, Joanne always said "yes" to adventures with family and friends. Her grandkids remember her always being there, smiling the biggest and cheering them on at concerts, recitals, shows, sports events, graduations, showers and weddings. Her kids share stories of road trips together, vacations, day trips, shopping, walks and coming for sleepovers at their houses. After every event, whether big or small, we were lavished with her signature "Thank you, thank you, thank you," "Bless your heart," and "I just don't know how you do it!", and text messages loaded with hearts and kisses emojis, as though it was the best time of her life. Because it was. Joanne possessed an infectious zest for life and her smile and laugh were contagious. She will always be the first one we think of and wish we could take along with us, or send pictures to, for all our future adventures. Some of Joanne's favorite times were those spent sharing coffee and conversation with family or friends, especially on her screen porch. She taught her family that no matter how busy life gets, there is always time for coffee and sweet treats. We will remember these moments with love whenever the clock hits 3:00 coffee time.

Joanne's most recent adventure was at the age of 100 when she decided to move to an apartment with a beautiful view at Drumlin Reserve. She was so excited, selecting new and old items to fill her apartment and she joyfully looked forward to making more friends, joining activities, enjoying the delicious meals, and watching the turkeys, deer, squirrels and birds outside her window.

Upon the occasion of her 100th birthday, when asked to reflect on the secret to her longevity, Joanne offered the following words of wisdom:

"Lean on your faith in God for the good and hard times. Have a positive and resilient attitude. Never turn down an opportunity for a cup of coffee and sweet treat. Always say yes to big and little adventures with family and friends. Embrace change and never stop learning!”

Mom, we will carry your advice, love and your radiant smile in our hearts forever.

Joanne is survived by a huge fan club, including her children, Ruth Ann Schultz of Clintonville, Nancy (Bruce Darken) Schultz-Darken of Madison, Steve (Martha) Querin-Schultz of Gays Mills, David (Nora) Schultz of Woodbine, GA, Jeff (Kelley) Schultz of Rutland, VT, Bob (Joan Frey) Schultz of Verona, Cindy (Steve) Martinelli of Cottage Grove, Bob (Bev Larson) Starczynski of McFarland, Diane (John) Jaeggi of Johnson Creek, and Donna (Jim) Robinson of DeForest; 23 grandchildren, Johanna Schultz Morillo, Becca (Joe) Dillenburg, Sarah (Jamie Hein) Schultz, Juliet (Marlo) Darken, Rachel (Dan Haueter) Darken, Whitney (August Price) Darken, Evan Schultz, Elliott (Thavy) Schultz, Annah Schultz, Brandon (Von Stroehlein) Schultz, Cassidy (Chris Vanderloo) Schultz, Katia (Nick Peterson) Hazen, Tom (Jane Schuler) Hazen, Emily Frey, Lori (John) Harrison, Jack (Sydney Doran) Frey, Cori Martinelli, Joe (Angie Hendrickson) Martinelli, Taylor-Ann (Tim) Seal, McKenna (Chandler Meeks) Starczynski, Rita (Jesse) Simmons, Jeffrey Jaeggi (Adria Braley Jaeggi), and Lindsey (Marcus) Shannon; and 16 great-grandchildren (plus two more to arrive soon), Anika, Reni and Roman Morillo; Sofia and Amalia Parra, Eloise and Celeste Dillenburg; Jorah and Sabre Darken; Colin and Avery Haueter; Madison and Genelise Hazen; Wilbanks Harrison; Theo Seal; and Rylee Simmons; and two sisters-in-law, Grace McQuade and Zita McQuade. She is further survived by many nieces, nephews, and countless friends.

Joanne was preceded in death by her husband, Ron; son, Jim Schultz; daughter, Suey Starczynski; an infant son; a daughter-in-law; son-in-law; grandson-in-law; her parents; parents-in-law; her siblings and siblings-in-law; many cousins and friends; and her favorite feline companion, Maggie.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. PATRICK'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, 434 N. Main St., Cottage Grove, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, 2026, with Father Mark Foley presiding. Burial will be at Cottage Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., with a rosary at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, January 23, 2026, and also at the church from 9:30 a.m until the time of the Mass on Saturday.

The family would like to thank the caregivers who provided loving support to Joanne at Drumlin Reserve in the final weeks of her life. She loved and appreciated all of you.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to support Friends of Agnes Charitable Foundation, Inc. or the American Parkinson Disease Association. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420