Ms. Joanne Louise Klein, daughter of the late Bernard Joseph and Mary Elizabeth (Clardy) Klein, was born August 7, 1932 in Geneva, Il. She attended St. Michael Catholic School in Wheaton, IL and Madonna High School in Aurora, IL. She had a great love of her faith and was a life-long parishioner of St. Michael Catholic Church. She also loved celebrating her Irish heritage and the holiday traditions her family passed down.

Ms. Klein's first job was working as the bookkeeper for her family's hardware store, Wheaton Hardware, at 102 Hale St.. She especially enjoyed visiting with customers and friends during her coffee breaks at Wheaton Restaurant. After the family store closed, Ms. Klein worked across the street as a personal banker at the First National Bank. She later moved to the Bank of Wheaton across the train tracks, and continued her work as a personal banker. In retirement she helped care for her niece and nephew, as well as her mother, Mary.

Ms. Klein's greatest love was her family. She loved taking photographs of family and friends, scrapbooking and journaling. She also used embroidery or needlepoint to make beautiful gifts, such as the Christmas stockings she made for many family members. Her family loved her chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and wonderful hugs.
She deeply loved Wheaton and the home she resided in for over 80 years. Her family lived on the same block, and she would often walk around the block for visits and birthday parties. She loved coffee, a sweet treat and company with conversation. She also loved her more recent home in Chelsea, and was grateful to live with family the last few months of her life.

Ms. Klein peacefully departed this life on August 25 at the home of her family in Chelsea, Michigan, where she was lovingly cared for by her sister and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Bernard (1992) and Mary (2008) and her brother-in-law, Terry Wesner (2011).

Her family will forever cherish and miss her sense of humor, stories and hugs. She is survived by her brother, Bernard (Jerry) and sister-in-law, Edna, her sister, MaryAnn, nieces: Debra Klein (Nelson de Sa e Silva), Amy (Francis) Witter and nephews: Timothy, Thomas and Robert Wesner. She is also survived by her great grandnieces and grandnephew: Kaitlyn, Jackson, Elizabeth, Sophia, Bailey, Blake, and Mairabella.

A visitation will be held on Monday, September 13, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral mass at 10:00 a.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church, 318 W. Illinois, Wheaton.

Family and friends are encouraged to sign the guestbook hultgrenfh.com. For more information call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-002.