Joan Marie Cheney

Joan Marie Cheney, age 70, of Austin, Minnesota, died Sunday, October 29, 2023, at Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Austin. Joan was born on March 10, 1953, to Orville and Irene (Hesby) Hanson in Mabel, Minnesota. She graduated from Mabel High School in 1971. Later that year Joan married Henry “Hank” Cheney on August 14, 1971, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minnesota. She worked as a cook at the Preston Nursing Home and also at the Lansing Post Office. She was a member of Scheie Lutheran Church in Mabel, Minnesota, and Brownsdale United Methodist Church. She liked to watch Peace and Power on Sunday morning. Joan’s passion in life was taking care of people, she had a Chore Program where she would help people run errands, help them clean and do tasks that they needed help with. She enjoyed sewing, traveling and collecting, she had many collections including her lighted village houses, dolls, plates and cardinal figurines. She will be dearly missed by all that knew and loved her.

Joan is survived by her son, Michael Cheney of Austin; siblings, Ione Selness of Spring Grove, Alan (Becky) Hanson of Rushford, and Dale (Carol) Hanson of St. Charles; sister-in-law, Janice Welch of Rochester; stepsiblings, Russ Wilson of Hoover, Alabama, and A.G. III (Audrey) Wilson of Gilette, Wyoming; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents, Orville and Irene Hanson; husband, Henry “Hank” Cheney in 2011; brother, Ordell Hanson, Curtis (Marcella) Hanson, Dennis Hanson; sister, Norma (Willard) Johnson; brothers-in-law, Grant Selness and Freeman Welch; sister-in-law, Charlotte Wilson; and stepsister, Ann Durst.