Joan Hauser passed away peacefully at Benedictine Manor on Wednesday, May 15, 2019. She was born June 26, 1933 in Houston, MN to Charlie and Tena Benson and grew up on a farm in Looney Valley. During her teen years, the family moved to La Crescent, MN.  She took pride in the fact that she was a member of the first Apple Festival royal court.

During her younger days, Joan worked at Soell’s Drug Store on the North Side while caring for her infant son, Bill, who slept behind the counter. She also managed to get her 8 year old son, Clayton, a job sweeping the floors there!  She then went on to work at K-Mart foods enjoying her customers for 20 years as a cashier until it closed.  Joan ended her working career at Ace Hardware Retail Support Center where she retired in 1996.

Joan is survived by her sons William Hauser (Lisa) and Brian Hauser (Debbie), daughter Sallie Schroeder (Tim), who continually advocated for her mother during her prolonged ill health, and daughters-in-law Sharon and Sue Hauser, and her caring and dedicated niece, Nancy Palubicki.  She also is survived by eight grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.  Her greatest joy was spending time with all of her family.

She was preceded in death by her sons Clayton, Ronnie and Rich Hauser, grandson Cole Ruhter, long-time companion Merlin Eggen and best friend Marilyn Blummer Hauser.  Also, by her sister, Lois Payne and her brother, Clifford Benson.

Joan was blessed with Sallie and Tim living next door, who lovingly and diligently helped her so that she was able to stay in her home as long as she could. She considered Tim her personal gardener and always had an immaculate yard. When remote control problems came up, almost daily, Tim was her man! He was one of the people who made it impossible for her to diet because of his constant trips for her to the bakery.  The other person who contributed to her sweet tooth was her son Brian, who brought homemade treats to her while she was in the nursing home.

What made Joan special? She raised 6 kids on her own while working full time and let each one know they were loved. Her sweet disposition, wit and sense of humor made us all smile. Her brownies were a favorite of everyone that had them. She enjoyed playing the slots at Black River Casino and the” Boat”. She went on many trips to Laughlin with friends and to Florida to visit Clayton and Sharon. She definitely loved her ice cream and sweets (she never saw a pie she didn’t like). She treasured the sleepovers with the grandkids and her morning coffee and peanut roll with her son Rich. She looked really good in the color pink and wore it often. She turned shopping (especially for a bargain, if she needed it or not) and using coupons to create Christmas baskets for families in need and special baskets for her own family, into a favorite hobby. Joan enjoyed watching sports and especially looked forward to watching the Packers play on Sunday afternoons.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the Town of Campbell First Responders because of the countless times they immediately responded to emergency calls at Joan’s home.

A special thank you to the Benedictine Manor staff for all their kindness. compassion and expertise during Joan’s time there.  The family would also like to thank the doctors, nurses, hospital staff members and hospice team at Mayo Healthcare Center for their exceptional care.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, May 25 at 11:00 am at the Coulee Region Cremation Group in the Prairie Room 133 Mason St., Onalaska with a visitation held one hour prior to the service.  A private family interment will be held at the Hauser Cemetery at a later time.

To view or download Joan’s memorial video, copy and paste the following link into your web browser.

https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/T3X7WPY726T4BZHF