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The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Simmen, Joan L.
Joan L. Simmen, 84, a longtime resident of Central City, died Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, at St. Luke's Hospital, Cedar Rapids, following a lingering illness. Services: 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Central City, by the Rev. Vicki Engelmann. The family will greet friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home in Central City. Burial: Mount Clark Cemetery, Central City, with a luncheon to follow at Central City United Church of Christ.
Survivors include her sons, Ronald (Ellen) Simmen of Omaha, and Randal (Karla) Simmen of Central City; and granddaughters, Jennifer Simmen of Omaha, and Dr. Kimberly (Tyler) Simmen-Hiipakka of Texas.
Also surviving are three sisters, Nelda Knowlton, Eileen Moehnke and Wilda Kress; and two brothers, Richard and Arnold Betzer.
Joan was preceded in death by her husband; parents; and one sister, Myrta Andrews.
She was born Feb. 14, 1928, in Anamosa, the daughter of Richard and Ethel (Dragoo) Betzer. She graduated from Central City High School in 1945. Joan married Robert Simmen March 7, 1947 in Cedar Rapids.
Please sign the online guest book for Joan at under obituaries.
Published in The Gazette Feb. 21, 2012.
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