Graveside services celebrating the life of Joan Cipala, age 85 of Holdingford, will be 1:00 PM, Thursday, September 26 at the Highland Cemetery in Holdingford. Joan died Monday at the St. Cloud Hospital. There will be a visitation after 11:00 AM Thursday at the Miller-Carlin Funeral Home in Holdingford.
Joan was born April 11, 1934 in Norwich, England to Percy and Dorothy Jackson. She grew up in England and met Herbert Cipala, a member of the U.S. Air Force during one of his weekend leaves. The two were married on March 30, 1961 in England. A year later, they moved to Duluth when Herbert was stationed at the Duluth Air Force Base and then to Sun Prairie, WI. After his retirement from the Air Force, in 1971, the couple moved to Holdingford. Joan was a housekeeper at St. John’s University for several years, retiring in 1994. She was a member of the South Elmdale Lutheran Church.
Joan is survived by her children, Lynne (Tom) McKenzie, Avon and Bob (Bobbi) Cipala, St. Cloud. She is also survived by her sister, Bridget Parker, England; brother, Desmond (Arvil) Jackson, England and five grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband in 1995, her son, Arthur Cipala and her brother, Mick Jackson.