Joanne Hileman Gaul
April 29, 1935 – Oct. 16, 2020
QUENEMO — Joanne Hileman Gaul, Quenemo, went to be with Jesus on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. She was 85.
Joanne was born April 29, 1935, in Rural Valley, Penn., the daughter of John and Janet Hileman. She was a good, old fashioned country girl.
Joanne married the love of her life, Donnel Gaul, in April 1958. He preceded her in death.
She and Don enjoyed archery competitions and in the 1960s they were both Pennsylvania State champions. Together they came to know the Lord, and in 1967, they left home and family to go serve as missionaries to the native Americans, first in South Dakota, and then in Alberton, Mont. They helped build the Northwest Indian Bible School and were dorm parents to over 200 Native American boys, hence her name, Ma Gaul.
She was always a very hard worker. After about 10 years on the mission field, she went to college and obtained her professional cooking degree, at the same time Don trained as a pilot. She loved cooking special birthday meals for family members.
In 1988, Don was killed in a plane crash in the mountains of Montana and Joanne moved to Plains, Mont., to live next to her son, Nolan and his family. She spent many years as a head cook and supervisor at Saint Pat’s Hospital and later Clark Fork Valley Hospital where she received Employee of the Year before retiring. In 2007, she moved to Kansas to be with her daughter and care for her granddaughter, Ashley, who she lived to see graduate just this year.
Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, siblings and two daughters, Cindy Joanne Gaul and Dawnette Hoerner.
Joanne is survived by a son, Nolan Gaul and wife, Treva, Post Falls, Idaho, and their children, Alyssa, Bridger (Annie) and Colter (Amy); great-grandchildren, Boaz and LeRoy and baby Gaul on the way; a son-in-law, David Hoerner, Quenemo; a grandson Britton (Rebecca); a granddaughter Ashley; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at Feltner Funeral Chapel, Lyndon. Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Burial will take place at Salem United Church of Christ Cemetery, Kittanning, Penn. Carson-Boyer Funeral Home in Rural Valley, Penn., is in charge of the burial.
Memorial contributions may be made to Northwest Indian Bible School and sent in care Feltner Funeral Home, 818 Topeka Ave, Lyndon, KS 66451.
