Joan Pippenger, age 91, of Milford,  died at 11:01 p.m. on Sunday night, April 27, 2025.
She was born on April 4, 1934, in Bremen, to Eldon and Maria Maenhout Loucks. Joan was a Madison High School graduate and lived her entire life in the Bremen-Nappanee-Milford area. On Jan. 15, 1955, Joan married John Pippenger Jr. in Nappanee. He preceded her in death on Jan. 8, 2023.
Joan worked in the RV industry as a seamstress and several other capacities, retiring from Coachmen RV in 1993. Joan loved flowers, gardening and working outdoors. Her yard was filled each year with beautiful flowers of all colors and a garden full with a bountiful harvest. She spent time each summer and fall canning and freezing vegetables from her garden to feed her family throughout the year. Joan loved the special treat of Dairy Queen and cherished the memories she made with family and friends over ice cream. She enjoyed watching her husband and son compete in Harness racing and was always their biggest fan. Above all, Joan was a loving wife, mother and grandmother.
She is survived by two children, Steve (Kitty) Pippenger, of Milford; and Nancy (Rick) Teater, of Cedar Park, Texas; daughter-in-law, Diane (Matt) Mast, of Milford; eight grandchildren: Jennifer (Kelly) Prater, Carlie Pippenger, Tiffany (Adam) Treadway, John-Michael Teater, Kristian Teater, Coty (Monica) Mast, Denise (Richard) McManis, Dennis (Mary) Tillotson II; eight great-grandchildren: Kylie (Corbyn) Baldridge, Wyatt Prater, Jeffrey (Alexis) McManis, Caitlin (Chris) Elliott, Scott (Kaitlin) McManis, Brittany (Brendan) Vega, Bridgett (Dedra) Tillotson and Tyler (Hayley) Tillotson; nine great-great-grandchildren: Kairi, Kaylee, Aiden, Sylvia, Aurora, Kaleb, Madelyn, Dallas and Eli; a brother, David (Connie) Loucks, of Wakarusa; a sister, Ann (Ronald) Truex, of Nappanee. Joan was preceded in death by her parents; husband; son, Michael Lee Pippenger; three brothers: John Richard Loucks, Arthur DeLater and Lawerence “Dutch” Verheye; and a sister, Betty Losicki.
Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, May 2 and from 9-10 a.m. on Saturday, May 3 at Thompson-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home, Nappanee. A funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning at the funeral home and burial will take place in Island Chapel Cemetery.