Memorial

Joanne Gensicke Berchenbriter Lamb died Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014.

Joanne was born Dec. 3, 1927, on Sunnydale Farm, west of Cedar Rapids. She was the last of five childern of Henry F. Gensicke and Lillian Armstrong Gensicke. She attended Stony Point School through the eighth grade, then went to Roosevelt High School while helping on the Sunny Dale Dairy Farm. She lived in Cedar Rapids, Grundy Center, Shellsburg and Austin, Texas. Joanne received a two-year teaching certificate at Coe College and taught at Williamsburg Elementary. She married Kenneth Berchenbriter in 1947 and had five children, Dean Berchenbriter, Ann Tiedt, Daniel Berchenbriter, Lynn Goya and Dawn Trudeau. 

4-H was very important to her all throughout her life and she had a victory garden. Later, she was a leader of Clinton Climbers and also helped her grandchildren in their 4-H sewing and baking projects. Eventually she was a 4-H judge at multiple county fairs.

In 1961, she went back to teaching in Urbana and then Cedar Rapids after completing her degree at Coe College. She retired after 25 years. During retirement, she volunteered with Meals on Wheels, at the Cedar Rapids Science Station at the Cedar Rapids Public Library and as an Invention Convention judge. Joanne became a master gardener in 1987 and through that gave talks, helped with conventions, school programs (Ground Up) and all aspects of master gardeners. 

She was a 50-year member of Eastern Star Fairfax Chapter, twice Worthy Matron, and held many other offices. She was a devoted member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church and helped with suppers, summer meals and the clothes closet giveaway. 

She loved family, gardening, reading, traveling with her husband and children and her coming-of-age trips with her 10-year-old grandchildren.

Joanne was preceded by her husband, Kenneth Berchenbriter; son, Daniel; her parents; her brothers, Hugo and Bill; and stepson, Edwin Lamb.

She married Shirel E. Lamb in 1999. 

Joanne is survived by her husband; her son, Dean; daughters, Ann Tiedt, Lynn Goya and Dawn Trudeau; her brother, Bob Gensicke; sister, Edith Henningsgaard Miller; as well as her stepdaughter, Barbara Hamilton; and stepson, Lynn Lamb. She was blessed with 13 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; six stepgrandchildren; and eight stepgreat-grandchildren.

Her service will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, at St. Mark's United Methodist Church with visitation beginning at 9 a.m. 

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to Tanager Place in honor of Joanne Lamb.