Joan Colwell

In loving memory of Joan V. (Bolek) Colwell, who was born to Edward and Fern (Daniel) Bolek on November 20th, 1931, and passed on to heaven peacefully at the age of 94 on January 10, 2026, at Gordon Countryside Care.

She spent her entire life in and around the Rushville, Nebraska area. She was raised on a farm near Rushville, being the eldest of three children, having a sister Joyce and a brother Edward. They experienced many hard and challenging times growing up in the 1930s, including the Blizzard of 1949. She talked about walking or riding a horse to country school. She attended Rushville High School, graduating in 1949. She married her high school sweetheart Mark Colwell, on September 11th, 1949, and they enjoyed 68 years of a very loving marriage. They had a wonderful life together, worked hard, and always had a home full of love, happiness, and a place to make special memories. As she often said, “my family was always the most important thing in my life on earth.” To their union, they welcomed three daughters, Nancy (Janssen), Connie (Anderson), and Laurice (Hoos). As a family, they enjoyed farm life and all of the related activities of country life. She absolutely loved family gatherings, picnics, trips to the Niobrara River, the Black Hills, and not to forget her love of baking! Her cookie jar was always full! She loved the food traditions of her Czech heritage and never a Christmas without baking Bobofka and apple roll.

She was blessed with many grandchildren who called her “Grammie.” Lisa Janssen, Kendra Bixby, Ross Janssen (Megan); Megan Kautz (Chris), Ingrid Wulf (Eric), Brooke Golosinskiy (Dmitriy) and Holly Gratton (Sam); Judd Hoos (Brandy), Shannon Hoos-Thompson, and Codi Hoos. What a joy to experience so many great grandchildren – Layne and Kinley Bixby; Khai, Brody and Brynn Janssen; James and Deklan Kautz, Keira and Addison Wulf, Claire and Gabriel Gratton; Hayden, Hannah and Hadleigh Hoos, Audrey and William Thompson.

Joan is survived by her three daughters, all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by Mark, her parents and sister Joyce, as well as son-in-laws Ken, Paul, and Bruce.

She loved music from an early age and often spoke of getting her first piano. She gave lessons along the way and also learned to play the organ and accordion. She entertained her family playing polkas and waltz’s on her accordion. She spent many years playing at Sunday church services and going to the local nursing homes to play for the residents.

She was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, and enjoyed her many years raising her children and helping with the grandchildren. She spent about 30 years working for the federal government in the ASCS office and was a wonderful secretary for them.

She dearly loved the Panhandle of Nebraska and thought it had the best fall colors and an unbeatable sunset. Thank God her final sunset was in a place she so dearly loved and was loved by so many.

The family wishes to convey their deepest and most sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks for the loving care and compassion shown to her during her final time in her earthly journey, where she was a resident at Gordon Countryside Care. We cannot adequately put into words the amazing care she received there, and she loved all of you! THANK YOU to ALL of you.

A memorial has been established for Gordon Countryside Care. Donations can be mailed to Chamberlain Mortuary P.O. Box 6, Gordon, NE 69343.