Rueden, Joan L A Most Remarkable Woman Joan Louise (Van Gheem) Rueden, 92, died peacefully Monday afternoon, September 13th, 2021 at St. Mary's Hospital in Green Bay where family members kept vigil. Joan was born May 4, 1929 in Pulaski, Wisconsin to Dorothy and Harry Van Gheem. Joan grew up during the Depression on a small dairy farm near Pulaski. She told stories of working the pickle fields to help the family earn extra cash. Because of a lack of transportation, she was, at first, unable to attend high school. When Joan did get to high school, she became a features writer for the Pulaski News and graduated in two years with honors. Joan met her future husband Basil at the traveling roller rink that he and his brothers operated. Their attraction was mutual, and they started dating, attaching the skates to their shoes and going around in circles together in various country dance halls. Basil didn’t want to marry a teenager, so they were wed May 7th, 1949 - 3 days after Joan’s 20th birthday. Joan and Basil raised 11 children on their 100+ cow dairy farm in West De Pere. Although most of the original farmstead and dairy near Oneida was sold in 1995, they grew a new farmstead east of Shawano and cropped several hundred acres of corn and soybeans. Summer and Christmas family reunions kept the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and cousins close. Joan was active on the Brown County Women’s Farm Bureau board for many years. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Town of Hobart in 2013 for her decades of service to the community. She also was very involved in church activities, was a 4H leader for many years, and served on the Brown County safety committee during the seat belt debates. Joan and Basil hosted Brown County "Breakfast on the Farm" and held farm tours for many different groups. Joan adored the man she married 72 years ago. Through good times and hard times, Joan and Basil were inseparable. Joan always had a smile and a hug for old family and new, any time. We loved that special twinkle in her eyes as she held each new grandchild and great grandchild, or when she read “A Fly Went By” to a gaggle of kids. Joan leaves a rich legacy of love, tolerance and belonging to everyone she touched. Joan was preceded in death by husband Basil, parents Harry and Dorothy, brother Elmer, sisters Dorothy and Edith and son-in-law Michael. Joan is survived by sons Joseph (Karen), John (Ildiko) Von Ruden, Jeff (Joan), Warren (LouAnn), Mark (Kimberly), and Eric; daughters Janet Oettinger, Lynn (Sam) Kujava, Merry (Paul) Hoffman, Lisa Vande Hei, and Shari (David) Wickesberg; forty loving grandchildren and over fifty-five great-grandchildren (and more on the way); many other beloved family members; and many precious memories. The wearing of masks is requested by the Green Bay Diocese. Visitation at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 145 St. Joseph Dr. Oneida from 4:30pm - 7:30pm on Friday, September 24, 2021. A parish prayer service will be held at 7pm to bring the evening to a close. Visitation will continue 9:30am Saturday, September 25 at the church until the Celebration of the Mass at 11am with Fr. Paul Paider and Deacon Bobby Doxtator officiating. A lunch will follow. Joan believed that God rewarded their lifetime of hard work with many blessings, and she was generous in sharing those blessings with others. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to charity in Joan’s name, or yours. Please go to www.ryanfh.com to send online condolences to the family. Special thanks to all the caregivers, and staff at Woodside Senior Communities and St. Mary's Hospital for their care of Joan and her family. Our special thanks to the family who coordinated all Joan and Basil’s care for many years.