She was born on April 26, 1932, in Bensenville, IL, the daughter of Alfred and Hilda (Hartmann) Meyer.
Joan worked at the Lee County Farm Bureau, Montgomery Ward in Dixon, Amboy News, and the Lee County Nursing Home. She was a member of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Dixon, the Lee County Homemaker Extension Association, the Red Hats Society, and was a 4-H leader.
Joan married William C. “Bill” Kessel on Oct. 17, 1954, in Sterling, IL.
She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Bill on Nov. 7, 2017, and brother Gordon Meyer.
Joan is survived by her children, Ann (Steve) Gronlund of Monroe Center, Dean Kessel of Dixon, and Craig (Christine) Kessel of Amboy; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and sisters-in-law Joy Meyer of Dixon and Aleta Faber of Princeton.
Funeral services will be on Monday, July 20, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Dixon. Burial will follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Dixon.
Visitation will be on Monday, July 20, 2026, from 9 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Dixon.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to the Lee County 4H Center.
Arrangements by the Jones Funeral Home, Dixon.
