Joanne Dinken

JOANNE PETRICK DINKEN

Mount Vernon

Joanne Petrick Dinken was born Jan. 11, 1924, in Ely, Iowa, to Rudolph and Libby Lnenicka. She moved to Bertram, Iowa, at the age of 3 and grew up attending Bertram country school. During her high school years, she lived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, while simultaneously working to support herself as a live-in maid. At 17 years old, she graduated from McKinley High School. Upon graduating, Joanne attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and then taught country school for a year in Bertram, Iowa, 1942-1943.

She married George Petrick in 1943. They would go on to have four beloved children: Larry, John, Diana and Kathryn. While raising the children, Joanne worked in her mother-in-law Jennie's grocery store until it closed in 1958. In 1959, George and Joanne opened The Petrick Implement Co. She served as Matron in the Order of the Eastern Star alongside George as Patron. Together they were elected co-presidents of the Mount Vernon Music Association between 1976 and 1978.

In 1980, George would join the Iowa House of Representatives, with Joanne serving as his secretary from 1981 until he passed away in 1982, at which point the Linn County Republican Committee voted her as George's replacement on the ballot for the subsequent election.

After George died in 1982, she moved to Parker, Colo., where she worked with daughter, Diana Price as a real estate broker for Great West Real Estate Co.

Joanne met and married her second husband, Herman Dinken in 1984. The two moved to Issaquah, Wash.,n where she was a proud member of both the Issaquah Garden and Women's Club. She served as president of the garden club and enjoyed designing flower arrangements. She created many flower arrangements for family weddings, including ones for her grandsons, Randy and Troy, and nieces, Margaret and Lisa. Along with her friend, Jean Noethlick, Joanne created a crafting business which sold candy, pins, cards and dried flower arrangements. Herman and Joanne were married for 36 years, moving to Parker, Colo., in 2015, before he passed away in 2019.

Known for her generosity, kindness and kolaches, she was a devoted mother of four, grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of 11. Christmas time was filled with peanut brittle and fruit cake for all.

She is survived by children, Larry (Rozanne) Petrick, Diana (Tim) Price and Kathryn (Brian) Crowley, daughter-in-law, Maureen DeWald; grandchildren, Randy Petrick, Troy Petrick, Susan Cunningham, Ruby (Victor Teran) Wendell, Joseph (Kate) Petrick, Adam (Adria) Crowley, Sigrid (Daljit) Ranu and Joanne Crowley; great-grandchildren, Matt Petrick, Miles Petrick, Emma Petrick, Simon Petrick, Noah Petrick, Izzy Petrick, Anna Dawidoff, Julian Teran, Elliot Teran, Jasmine Ranu and Emerson Petrick; her brother, Albert (Shirley) Lnenicka; and brother-in-law, Ralph McElninneny.

She was preceded in death by her son, John Petrick; sisters, Alice (Ard) Bell, Irma (Stan) Drahos and Helen McElninneny; and brother-in-law, James Jilek.

Joanne passed away April 26, 2021, at the age of 97 years old, but her joyous spirit will live on in all who knew and loved her.

There will be a Memorial Service at 10 a.m. Friday, July 9, at the Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon, Iowa.