Joan Bertha Sturm Harper

Harper, Joan Bertha Sturm MADISON Joan Harper, age 87, passed away peacefully on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008, at the Meriter Health Center in Madison, with friends Frankie Karns, Matthew Ledger, and daughter, Victoria Harper and son-in-law, Tom Naunas in attendance. The daughter of George Kurt and Hilda (Child) Sturm, she was born in New York on Nov. 18, 1920. She was a graduate of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa., with a degree in chemistry. She married Daniel Lee Harper on Aug. 30, 1947. The couple, with their three daughters, resided for many years in the Chicago area, moving to Richland Center, in 1975. Following a stroke in 2004, Joan had been residing at the Meriter Health Center in Madison. Joan loved animals, gardening, writing, and research and was the author of several books on pet nutrition. She was a Reiki practitioner and a spiritual seeker. She had been a founding memb er of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Richland Center. Joan was predeceased by her beloved husband, Daniel. Survivors include sisters, Marguerite Gormley of Pennsylvania and Yvonne Sturm of New Jersey; daughters, Deborah Harper Rouse of Savannah, Ga., Pamela Harper (Tony Viele) of Mars Hill, N.C., and Victoria Harper (Tom Naunas) of Madison; granddaughter, Gabrielle Wriborg (Chad Wriborg) of Spartanburg, S.C.; grandson, Daniel Rouse of Tallahassee, Fla.; great-granddaughter, Brigette Canny of Spartanburg, S.C.; and cat, Audrey, of Madison. A memorial service is to be scheduled in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your local animal shelter in memory of Joan. The family wishes to thank the staff of Meriter Health Center for their compassionate care and kindness during her stay there and especially in her final hours.