Joan (Gast) Wenning, age 93, of St. Henry died on Saturday, July 1 at the Miller Place in Celina.

She was born on June 8, 1930, to Joseph and Agnes Backs, deceased, of Montezuma, Ohio. She attended elementary and middle school in Montezuma and graduated from Coldwater High School in 1948.

Joan married Robert Gast of St. Henry on June 10, 1950. They lived in St Henry all their married lives, and in their later years, enjoyed winters in Florida. Robert Gast was Secretary-Treasurer of Beckman and Gast Cannery in St Henry and Joan worked for a short time as a secretary there before she began raising their five children. Robert died on September 6, 1981. Joan then became active in a Catholic Singles Group (NAIM of the North) and enjoyed traveling. She met Mark Wenning of Minster, and they were married on October 18, 1996, and Joan became stepmother to his seven children.

Joan was preceded in death by her first husband, Robert Gast, her grandson, Scott Albers, granddaughter, Anne Schwieterman Fullmer, stepdaughter, Ann Luebke, stepsons-in-law, Dale Monnier and Dan Luebke and step great grandchild Riley McEldowney-Monnier.

Joan is survived by her husband Mark Wenning of St. Henry, children Patricia (Frank) Albers, Nick (Connie) Gast and Karl (Terri) Gast of St. Henry, Jane (Ralph) Schwieterman of Coldwater and Tim Gast of Lorain, Ohio. She also has 15 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren and 4 step great grandchildren within the Gast family.

Joan is also survived by stepchildren Joan (Bill) Ardis of Ada, Michigan, Carol (Tom) Detwiler, Susan (Leon) Mertz, and Mark (Debbie) Wenning, all of Minster, Barb (Dan) Heitkamp of Maria Stein and Eric (Jenny) Wenning of Xenia. She also has 15 step grandchildren and 18 step great grandchildren within the Wenning family.

Her surviving sister and brother-in-law are Barbara and Tom Monnig and sister-in-law, Faith (Jim) Backs. She was preceded in death by her siblings Edna Backs, Irene (Elmer) Klosterman, Mary Ann (Frank) Waters, Marge (Robert) VanDoornevelt, Ruth (Norbert Giere, Frances Brown) Brown, Delores (Jack) Sowar, Charles (Edith) Backs, Andrew (Janet) Backs, Joseph (Ginny) Backs, Jim Backs, and Sister Barbara Jean Backs.

She is also survived by in-laws John Gast and Jack and Jean Bergman of St. Henry and was preceded in death by-in laws Jim and Bea Gast, Bill and Gerry Gast, Marge Gast, and Marty Gast.
Her in-laws, Donna and Joe Rose and Barb (Ken) Wenning also survive Joan.

Joan was a lover of the written word, especially crosswords and poetry. She enjoyed gardening, sewing, nature and traveling to many places in the United States and abroad. She loved a good joke and being with her family. She was a member of the St Henry Catholic Church, The Daughters of Isabella, had been a past 4-H Advisor, volunteer at St Henry Schools, and served on the Board of Foundations. Joan loved to reminisce about growing up on a beautiful farm in Montezuma with her parents and 12 brothers and sisters and attending a one-room schoolhouse. Joan's family wishes to thank the staff at The Miller Place of Celina for the care they have given her since June of 2022.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, July 6, 2023, at St. Henry Catholic Church, St. Henry. Burial at St. Henry Cemetery will follow the mass.

Friends may call from 3 to 8 PM on Wednesday, July 5, and from 9 to 10 AM on Thursday at the Hogenkamp Funeral Home in St. Henry.

Memorial contributions may be made to Holy Family Catholic Church, 1439 KY 11S. Booneville, KY 41314, or The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) PO Box 49104 Baltimore, MD 21297.

Condolences for the family may be expressed at www.hogenkampfh.com.