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Joan Hess, 90, of Cable, passed away Sunday, July 3, 2016, in Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus.
Joan was born Jan. 10, 1926, in Urbana, and attended Salem High School.
She attended Mt. Carmel Friends Church, where she was a past secretary treasurer of the Builders Class and was a Sunday School teacher. In 1991, she became the clerk of the Mt. Carmel Joint Cemetery.
She retired after 35 years, as a manufacturing inspector for Detroit Aluminum and Brass in Bellefontaine, where she served on the retirement board and the credit union board.
Joan and her husband, Charles spent the majority of their life raising and participating in show sheep. Their knowledge, experience and participation won them many awards. They were well respected and known in the sheep industry.
From 1955-99, she helped at the junior fair at the Ohio State Fair; 1955-58, served on the Farm Bureau Federation Board; 1962-64, served on the Township ASC committee; 1960, helped organize and was a director and treasurer of the Champaign Sheep Association; 1965-93, judged at the Ohio State Fair sheep shows; 1980, was inducted into the Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame; 1974, was secretary-treasurer of the Eastern Columbia Association; 1977, was secretary treasurer of the Ohio Rambouillet Association; 1982, received Outstanding Eastern Columbia Sheep award; 1984, was awarded lifetime membership in the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association; 1985, was director of the Great Lakes Sheep Association; 1987, won the Ohio Master Shepherds Award; 1988-96, served on the Mt. Carmel Joint Cemetery Board; 1993, served on the board for the sheep show at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville; 1996, received the Dedication to Fiber Industry Award; 1997, helped organize the Junior Sheep Extravaganza show in Columbus; 1998, helped manage the Buckeye Breed Ewe Sale; and in 1999, named honorary member of the Logan County Sheep Association. Other achievements include the Ohio Sheep Improvement Environmental Stewardship award, special lifetime parking spots just outside the sheep barn at the Ohio State Fair, for over 30 years, served on the board of the Ohio Sheep Exhibitors, was past president, past vice president and director of the Merino Sheep association, and showed sheep throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, the United States and Canada.
She loved being with her family, especially her grandchildren, and also loved her dog, Barney. She will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her.
Joan is survived by her daughter, Connie Woodruff; sons, Ron (Suzanne) Hess and Gary “George” Hess; grandchildren, Michael (Theresa) Hess, Rochelle (Tim) Bell, Melissa Avery, Chuck (Emily) Carey, Karen (Chad) Snyder, Stacy (Ray) Seymour, Jeff (Barbara) Woodruff and Matt Woodruff; great-grandchildren, Andy, Candice, Dylan, Derek, Amber, Isabella, Josie, Austin, Jayson, Megan, Devin, Cody, Gregery, Nathan, Earron, Ami, Averie, Ashlyn, Scotty, Zach, Eli, Grace and Zane as well as several great-great-grandchildren; sister, Jayne (David) Kauffman; sisters-in-law, Margit (Jim) Coon and Linda Connolly; brother-in-law, Frank (LaDonna) Hess; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Joan was preceded in death by her parents, Merrill and Faye Kieffer Connolly; her husband of more than 60 years, Charles Hess, who died May 23, 2000; and her siblings, Janet Wallace, Joyce Bailey, Jerry, Jim and Jack Connolly.
Visitation is from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 8, at Vernon Funeral Home, Urbana. The Rev. Tom Amlin conducts a funeral at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 9, in Mt. Carmel Friends Church, Urbana. Burial is in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Condolences may be expressed at www.vernonfh.com.