Joan Gail Lindholm was born in Duluth, MN, on September 22, 1931, to Arthur and Eva (Adams) Peterson. She passed away in Minneapolis, MN, on May 17, 2026.
Joan spent her youth in Duluth and Big Lake, MN, where her family built a cabin in a spot surrounded by trees overlooking the lake. This was the most magical place for everyone who had the privilege to visit. Her formative years were spent here, among family, friends & nature.
After High School, Joan trained to be a nurse at St Luke’s in Duluth. She took classes during the day and worked in the hospital at night. Her favorite rotation was pediatrics. During her training she met her future husband, Claire “Lindy” Lindholm, who was interning at St Luke’s. They were married on May 16, 1953, in Duluth, & made their home in Armstrong, IA, where Lindy was practicing medicine with his brother, Hugo. Joan worked in the office for several years, serving as nurse & bookkeeper. This is in addition to cooking, cleaning, doing laundry & greeting patients who would come to the house during off-hours to see Doc. When Lindy had the mumps, she ran the office by herself & did house calls. Later in his career she helped deliver a baby during a snowstorm, taking care of mother & daughter until the roads were clear enough to travel home.
Joan’s favorite job was being Mom to Jim, Jack, Dan & Janet, and Grandma to Nate, Melanie, Phillip, Lissy & Katherine. She absolutely excelled at this. She did everything with joy, love, patience & a sense of humor. She supported every endeavor her kids undertook, usually with enthusiasm. From dogs to seahorses, hamsters, lizards, rescued bunnies & a one-eyed mouse named Ralph, Joan encouraged a love of all creatures. After moving to Minneapolis, she spent many Saturday mornings at the Farmer’s Market petting dogs & admiring flowers.
During her time in Armstrong, Joan was a band parent, Luther League sponsor, member of Study & Sewing Clubs and a longtime member of Nazareth Lutheran Church. She made enough cookies, bars, cakes & pies to have opened her own bakery. She loved her time in Armstrong and the many friends who became like family.
Joan is survived by her son Jack (Sharon) Lindholm of Philadelphia, PA; daughter Janet (David) Haugan of Minneapolis, MN; & daughters-in-law Evelyn (Jim) Lindholm of Golden Valley, MN, & Lynette (Dan) Lindholm of Kansas City, MO. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Nathan (Heidi) Lindholm, Melanie (Sam) Stiner, Phillip (Amber) Lindholm, Melissa (Chad) Herrada and Katherine Haugan; and great-grandchildren, Grant, Nolan, Allie, Lucy, Dakota, Gunnar, Nora, Linnea, James & Leo.
Joan was preceded in death by her parents & brother, Roger Peterson; her husband, Claire & sons, Jim & Dan.
A Celebration of Lives Service for Joan and her son Dan, who passed away on December 23, 2024, will take place on Saturday, May 30th, at 11:00 AM at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Armstrong. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will take place at Armstrong Grove Cemetery. Memorials can be directed to Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots Program or the ASPCA.
Henry Olson Funeral Home of Armstrong is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.henryolsonfuneral.com.
