Joan Pfantz

Joan Pfantz, 95, of Melbourne, Iowa, passed away Thursday, September 3, 2026, under the wonderful care of Suncrest Hospice and Green Hills Health Care Center in Ames.

Visitation will be held from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Sunday, September 13, at Trinity Lutheran Church in State Center, Iowa. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, September 14, also at Trinity Lutheran Church in State Center, Iowa with Pastor Robert Ricard officiating. She will be laid to rest in the Melbourne Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

For condolences or questions, contact Mitchell Family Funeral Home at 641-844-1234. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Joan and her family. Memorials may be directed to Trinity Lutheran Church and the West Marshall Scholarship Fund.

Joan was born November 10, 1930, in Melbourne, Iowa, the daughter of Joe and Una Frances (Miller) Damman. She grew up in the Melbourne area and graduated from the Newton High School’s Class of 1947.

On October 2, 1949, Joan married the love of her life Don Pfantz. The couple was the first to be married in the new Trinity Lutheran Church in State Center. They made their home farming near Melbourne, where they raised their family and built a life centered around faith, family, and community. Joan enjoyed helping Don on the farm and had a great love for animals. She loved cooking, baking, canning, gardening, and tending to her flowers. During holidays Joan found pleasure in cooking a delicious feast surrounded by her family. Don and Joan were great ballroom dancers and enjoyed going to dances and vacationing with friends. Joan hardly ever missed a sporting event of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Joan was a longtime member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Ladies Aid, and West Marshall Booster Club. She will be remembered for her devotion to her family and the selfless way she always put their needs before her own. She touched many lives throughout her 95 years.

Joan is survived by her children, Doug (Penny) Pfantz and Joel (Cristi) Pfantz, all of Melbourne, and Jody (Terry) White of Plano, Texas; her grandchildren, Zachary (Stacy) Pfantz, Brant (Michelle) Pfantz, Nick Pfantz, Melissa (Alex) Blood, Josh (Kayla) Pfantz, Amber Pfantz, Chase (Rachel) White, and Riley White; and her great-grandchildren, Tate Pfantz, Tessa Pfantz, Tyus Pfantz, Noah Pfantz, Zadie Pfantz, Ashtyn Blood, Weston Blood, Audrey Blood, and Harper White.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Don, on November 12, 2012; her parents and her sister, Elna Mae DeJong.

Joan’s legacy will live on through the family she loved so dearly and the many memories shared by those who knew and loved her.

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