Joan Lehmann, age 86, of Rapid City, passed away unexpectedly early the morning of April 11, 2020 in her home.  Joan was born November 7, 1933 in Rock Island, Illinois to Edward Nelson Dixon (Rock Island, IL) and Dorothy Mae Metzger Dixon (Muscatine, IA).  She attended Church of Peace in Rock Island where she was baptized and later professed her faith being confirmed. Her family (parents and younger brother, Ron) later moved from Rock Island to Silvis Heights, Illinois where she graduated from Moline High School in 1951. She attended Augustana College in Rock Island. In 1955 she obtained her bachelor's degree in physical education with a minor in Art.

During her high school and college years, Joan actively engaged in several organizations: High School: Girls' Athletic Association, Pep Club, Key Girls' Sports Editor, Debate, and Organ.  She was an avid tennis player and taught her best friend, Lois Wilson to play doubles with her. In her college years she participated in the Future Teachers of America, The Terrapins (a water ballet club), a Sorority, Kappa Epsilon Nu ("KEN" also, her husband's name). In her senior college year, she was vice president. She also lettered in women's basketball.  When she shared about her college days, she described how she regularly worked on designing floats, posters and many other creative projects. She had a gift for leadership, a creative eye for detail and design and used these in a variety of capacities throughout her high school and college years. Several summers were spent at camps in Michigan and Wisconsin where she served as waterfront director and enjoyed swimming and boating. She told her children she learned to swim in the Mississippi River in Rock Island and swam alongside the snakes.

After college, she accepted a position as a physical education teacher in Libertyville, IL where she taught for 13 years.  She attended St. John's Lutheran Church. Deciding to join the church choir, she noticed a tall, dark and handsome man (with a nice car). "Ken", was also the son of the choir director who also happened to be the wife of the church's pastor. Joan was married to Kenneth Lehmann on June 9, 1957 at the Church of Peace in Rock Island, Illinois by Kenneth's father, Pastor William Lehmann. With her marriage to Ken, she was blessed to gain 2 sisters and 5 brothers and eventually their spouses and forthcoming children.

Joan and Ken, with their 2 children, Kaye and Doug, made their home in Mundelein, IL and attended St. John's Lutheran Church where Ken's father was the pastor.  They enjoyed genuine family oriented community in a private setting, "Loch Lomond". Here, with many similar young families, they worked together to help each other with babysitting, transform a swamp to a lake with beaches, and initiated a swimming program. Joan served as the first water front director. During their years in Loch Lomond (in Mundelein), they formed a close knit circle of friends many of which became lifelong. Together they raised children, spent time swimming and sailing their butterfly boats, participated in a sailing club, hosted many cook outs and beach parties, ladies' bridge, golfed together, and formed a monthly Gourmet club. Family and church gatherings were also regularly held. Joan worked tirelessly to entertain family and friends in her home or at the beach. She was a wonderful baker, cook, seamstress, and could crochet and knit beautiful work. At one point, she became involved as a leader to instruct children in mixed media with 4-H. She opened her children to a world of wonderful activities including mosaics, casting, carving, metal embossing and participation in the local Lake County Fair. Joan was especially close to her Aunt Bette (her father's sister) throughout her life. Joan made certain her family would take time to visit the Quad Cities to see her, her parents, and her brother, Ron and his family.

During her years as a P.E. teacher, Joan was exceptionally skilled in teaching grade school children in Libertyville and Diamond Lake, IL. Her love of art and music creatively shaped her students, and her two children. These entities were incorporated into many different activities to develop coordination, skills, learning special folk dances and of course, a variety of sports activities. Joan, Ken and their two children later became involved with a mission church, Faith Lutheran Church in Mundelein, IL.  Joan contributed her leadership skills serving on the Church council, designed and created beautiful banners and art forms to enhance the church's worship setting. She sang in the church choir with several family members led by her sister-in-law, Phyllis. She also held her own as the token alto in the (Von-) Lehmann Family Choir, until an out of town sister in law, Christie, joined her. In later years, the Lehmann family became a part of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Libertyville, IL and continued to serve people and the Church. Joan actively became a new mother to 8 international children she and Ken sponsored through Compassion International. She regularly wrote to the children to keep up with them, encourage them, offer support and love, and remind them of the Lord's love for them.

Joan's employment was re-routed as she transitioned to become an Accounting Specialist. She took accounting courses and was employed at Libertyville Toyota, and Baxter International Finance department at the corporate headquarters in Deerfield, IL. Her final employment years were enjoyed together with her husband, Kenneth. They moved to Deerfield, IL commuting together to enjoy working for and retiring from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

During their employment, they enjoyed many extra-curricular activities including attending the 1996 Rose Bowl, many concerts and plays offered by the University. Joan also enrolled in art courses at NWU. This greatly enhanced her work as an artist to produce many unique art forms including various forms of printing, oil and water color painting. After retiring, they moved to a new home in Surprise, AZ. They continued their enjoyment of playing golf, sharing the beauty of the area with friends and family who visited, and became very involved with Spirit of the Desert, Sun City, AZ.

During medical school, Joan's son, Doug met and married a wonderful, sweet woman, Stephanie. Over time, as grandchildren came, Joan and Ken were drawn to move to a new home in Cleghorn Canyon in Rapid City, SD.  Here, she graciously shared and gifted others with her artwork, cross-stitch, crocheting, knitting and sewing. She also offered time and instruction opening a world of fun and creativity providing Art lessons with her 6 grandchildren. During this time, Joan and Ken became involved with Trinity Lutheran Church in Rapid City and enjoyed singing in the church choir with her husband, Ken.

Joan also had a life-long love of animals. She enjoyed raising several animals over the years. This included Schotzi, the German Shepherd, cats Snowball and Gomez, Schnauzers, Heidi and her puppy, Praise. Later in life brought her Smoochie, her son, Doug's  dog coming for extended stays and became her snuggle bed buddy and larger-than-life personality miniature Dachshund, and crazy cat, Puff. Currently she was surrounded by sweet talkative girl, Gracie the cat, and more recently Zammer , the cute and lick-your-nose Schi Tzu.

Joan and Ken's lives were wholeheartedly dedicated to family and church.  Joan served in a variety of church leadership roles and on church councils over the course of her life. She enjoyed her role as Godmother to her nieces Cathy Wilk (daughter/Buck Lehmann) and Susan Lehmann (daughter/Gilbert Lehmann). She had been a treasured 17 year participant of Bible Study Fellowship and eventually shared this with her daughter, Kaye for the past 5 years.

Joan proudly spent her final years, celebrating and loved watching her 6 grandchildren grow, thrive, and share their talents in music, singing, art, and sports while becoming the individuals God made them to be. She enjoyed their activities and even learned to use an IPad to keep in contact with them and their comings and goings. One of the highlights for Joan was sharing the day with her family around her as they formally adopted the twins, Christian and Christina who were from the Philippines. She wholeheartedly welcomed them into her life and her love.

She was never sorry leaving Arizona or Illinois.  She followed God's plan as she best understood it for her whole life and was richly blessed.  One last gift and blessing shared by Joan and Ken together was designing crosses and enhancing them with Ken's Christian scrollwork he had done for Chapel in the Hills. Many have been touched and blessed by her supportive, creative touches that reflected her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ whom she loved. During the final year of her husband's life, Ken and Joan partnered as prayer warriors, guided by Ephesians 6:13-18. They prayed together and shared a weekly prayer ministry lifting up concerns for family, friends and those in need in their home church, Trinity. After, her husband passed away, she continued this prayer time and shared it with her daughter, Kaye.

We will all greatly miss our mother, mother-in-law, grandma, and friend. But, we can find great comfort in knowing that she lived her faith and was a lifelong precious child of God.

Joan is survived by her two children, Kaye Lehmann and Dr. Douglas Lehmann and wife, Stephanie Lehmann all of Rapid City.  Surviving grandchildren include Hana (Wes) Willison of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Robert Lehmann of Minneapolis, MN, Maya Lehmann of Minneapolis, MN, Sarah Lehmann, Chris Lehmann and Tina Lehmann, all of Rapid City.  Joan was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Arthur Lehmann, her parents, Edward Dixon and Dorothy Dixon-Fisher, her step-father, Wilbur Fisher of Rock Island, IL and her brother, Ronald Edward Dixon of Moline, IL. On her husband's side, those include Phyllis, William and Pete Lehmann.

Surviving Lehman family brothers- and sister-in-law include Gilbert Lehmann of Valparaiso, IN; Buck (Alice) of Texas; Judy Yerkey of California; and Joel (Christie) of Valparaiso, IN.  In addition, also are remembered are her special God-nieces, Cathy (Jim) Wilk from Richfield, Wisconsin and Susan Lehmann, from Alaska, in addition to a multitude of other extended Lehman and Dixon family and special friends who were blessed to have known, loved her, and were touched by her life.

Paying last respects viewing will be held at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home, 2700 Jackson Blvd, in Rapid City from 11:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, 2020.  At 2:00 p.m. MST, a live streaming of the funeral with family only will be presented. For viewing, please go to https://www.osheimschmidt.com/obituary/joan-lehmann .

Burial will be at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis on Monday, April 20, at 11:00 am.  Perimeters for current COVID-19 social distancing will be implemented for all portions of the life celebration of Joan.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:

Humane Society of the Black Hills- https://www.hsbh.org/in-memoriam/

Compassion International- https://www.compassion.com/where-most-needed.htm or

Trinity Lutheran Eco Prayer Park- https://trinityrapidcity.360unite.com/new-page