Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, died peacefully March 17, 2021, at her home in Des Peres, Missouri, surrounded by family.
A lifelong St. Louisan, Joan was born May 26, 1944, to Gustave and Maxine Knepper Eichkorn. Their second child and only daughter, she inherited her father’s sociability and determination and her mother’s compassionate and caring nature.
Joan married George Lee on Oct. 10, 1964. Though they were opposites in many ways, they loved each other deeply, and their commitment to each other and their family helped them weather many storms. Their 56-year union produced four daughters and many happy memories, including those involving road trips to Maine and other states.
Joan was the kind of mother who expected to be obeyed but also provided unconditional love and support to her children: Mary Lee (David Corson), Christine McNiff (Jim), Jennifer Chatfield (Wade) and Katherine Cochran (Matt). A meticulous housekeeper, she kept them fed, clothed, and safe. More importantly, she was the glue who held her family together. She was their town crier, chief adviser, frequent rescuer and maker of the world’s best Thanksgiving stuffing.
Joan loved to talk. She would sit at the kitchen table in the evenings (after the dishes were done, of course) and converse with relatives and friends for hours, feet up on the table, fingers twirling her hair. These long conversations fueled the strong friendships she built over the years with her mother, daughters and others.
Joan’s seven grandchildren (Maggie Murrell; Kelsey and Connor McNiff; Bea Chatfield; and Natalie, Molly, and Liam Cochran) were the light of her later life. She helped raise every one of them while their parents worked. She was a grandma like no other: fun-loving, mischievous and not above instigating crank calls. She made her grandkids laugh and behave, often at the same time.
Open, honest and always herself, Joan will be missed greatly by her family, including nephews David (Mary) and Paul Eichkorn and niece Lisa Eichkorn; dear friends Patricia Post, Helen Mohan and Jackie Randolph; and many others.
Joan made the decision many years ago to help train a future physician by donating her body to Saint Louis University School of Medicine. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/donate), the Humane Society of Missouri (https://www.hsmo.org/tributes-memorials) or another charitable or educational institution.
Bopp Chapel
A lifelong St. Louisan, Joan was born May 26, 1944, to Gustave and Maxine Knepper Eichkorn. Their second child and only daughter, she inherited her father’s sociability and determination and her mother’s compassionate and caring nature.
Joan married George Lee on Oct. 10, 1964. Though they were opposites in many ways, they loved each other deeply, and their commitment to each other and their family helped them weather many storms. Their 56-year union produced four daughters and many happy memories, including those involving road trips to Maine and other states.
Joan was the kind of mother who expected to be obeyed but also provided unconditional love and support to her children: Mary Lee (David Corson), Christine McNiff (Jim), Jennifer Chatfield (Wade) and Katherine Cochran (Matt). A meticulous housekeeper, she kept them fed, clothed, and safe. More importantly, she was the glue who held her family together. She was their town crier, chief adviser, frequent rescuer and maker of the world’s best Thanksgiving stuffing.
Joan loved to talk. She would sit at the kitchen table in the evenings (after the dishes were done, of course) and converse with relatives and friends for hours, feet up on the table, fingers twirling her hair. These long conversations fueled the strong friendships she built over the years with her mother, daughters and others.
Joan’s seven grandchildren (Maggie Murrell; Kelsey and Connor McNiff; Bea Chatfield; and Natalie, Molly, and Liam Cochran) were the light of her later life. She helped raise every one of them while their parents worked. She was a grandma like no other: fun-loving, mischievous and not above instigating crank calls. She made her grandkids laugh and behave, often at the same time.
Open, honest and always herself, Joan will be missed greatly by her family, including nephews David (Mary) and Paul Eichkorn and niece Lisa Eichkorn; dear friends Patricia Post, Helen Mohan and Jackie Randolph; and many others.
Joan made the decision many years ago to help train a future physician by donating her body to Saint Louis University School of Medicine. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/donate), the Humane Society of Missouri (https://www.hsmo.org/tributes-memorials) or another charitable or educational institution.
Bopp Chapel
Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, died peacefully March 17, 2021, at her home in Des Peres, Missouri, surrounded by family.
A lifelong St. Louisan, Joan was born May 26, 1944, to Gustave and Maxine Knepper Eichkorn. Their second child and only daughter, she inherited her father’s sociability and determination and her mother’s compassionate and caring nature.
Joan married George Lee on Oct. 10, 1964. Though they were opposites in many ways, they loved each other deeply, and their commitment to each other and their family helped them weather many storms. Their 56-year union produced four daughters and many happy memories, including those involving road trips to Maine and other states.
Joan was the kind of mother who expected to be obeyed but also provided unconditional love and support to her children: Mary Lee (David Corson), Christine McNiff (Jim), Jennifer Chatfield (Wade) and Katherine Cochran (Matt). A meticulous housekeeper, she kept them fed, clothed, and safe. More importantly, she was the glue who held her family together. She was their town crier, chief adviser, frequent rescuer and maker of the world’s best Thanksgiving stuffing.
Joan loved to talk. She would sit at the kitchen table in the evenings (after the dishes were done, of course) and converse with relatives and friends for hours, feet up on the table, fingers twirling her hair. These long conversations fueled the strong friendships she built over the years with her mother, daughters and others.
Joan’s seven grandchildren (Maggie Murrell; Kelsey and Connor McNiff; Bea Chatfield; and Natalie, Molly, and Liam Cochran) were the light of her later life. She helped raise every one of them while their parents worked. She was a grandma like no other: fun-loving, mischievous and not above instigating crank calls. She made her grandkids laugh and behave, often at the same time.
Open, honest and always herself, Joan will be missed greatly by her family, including nephews David (Mary) and Paul Eichkorn and niece Lisa Eichkorn; dear friends Patricia Post, Helen Mohan and Jackie Randolph; and many others.
Joan made the decision many years ago to help train a future physician by donating her body to Saint Louis University School of Medicine. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/donate), the Humane Society of Missouri (https://www.hsmo.org/tributes-memorials) or another charitable or educational institution.
Bopp Chapel
A lifelong St. Louisan, Joan was born May 26, 1944, to Gustave and Maxine Knepper Eichkorn. Their second child and only daughter, she inherited her father’s sociability and determination and her mother’s compassionate and caring nature.
Joan married George Lee on Oct. 10, 1964. Though they were opposites in many ways, they loved each other deeply, and their commitment to each other and their family helped them weather many storms. Their 56-year union produced four daughters and many happy memories, including those involving road trips to Maine and other states.
Joan was the kind of mother who expected to be obeyed but also provided unconditional love and support to her children: Mary Lee (David Corson), Christine McNiff (Jim), Jennifer Chatfield (Wade) and Katherine Cochran (Matt). A meticulous housekeeper, she kept them fed, clothed, and safe. More importantly, she was the glue who held her family together. She was their town crier, chief adviser, frequent rescuer and maker of the world’s best Thanksgiving stuffing.
Joan loved to talk. She would sit at the kitchen table in the evenings (after the dishes were done, of course) and converse with relatives and friends for hours, feet up on the table, fingers twirling her hair. These long conversations fueled the strong friendships she built over the years with her mother, daughters and others.
Joan’s seven grandchildren (Maggie Murrell; Kelsey and Connor McNiff; Bea Chatfield; and Natalie, Molly, and Liam Cochran) were the light of her later life. She helped raise every one of them while their parents worked. She was a grandma like no other: fun-loving, mischievous and not above instigating crank calls. She made her grandkids laugh and behave, often at the same time.
Open, honest and always herself, Joan will be missed greatly by her family, including nephews David (Mary) and Paul Eichkorn and niece Lisa Eichkorn; dear friends Patricia Post, Helen Mohan and Jackie Randolph; and many others.
Joan made the decision many years ago to help train a future physician by donating her body to Saint Louis University School of Medicine. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/donate), the Humane Society of Missouri (https://www.hsmo.org/tributes-memorials) or another charitable or educational institution.
Bopp Chapel
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