Obituary of Joanne Mary Gretsch

JoAnne Mary (Beckers) Gretsch passed away peacefully at home and surrounded by love in St. Cloud, MN, on April 16, 2023. She was 71 years old.

Joanne was born October 20, 1951, in St. Cloud, MN, to Walter J. and Catherine M. (Fischer). She grew up on Upper Spunk Lake in Avon, MN, with her nine siblings. On July 12, 1971, she married Ronald L. Gretsch at Seven Dolors in Albany, MN.

Jo resided in Albany, MN, and moved to Monticello, MN, in 1985. She was an active member at the Church of St. Henry for several years, and you could find her singing as part of the music ministry group during many of the services. She eventually moved back to her roots in St. Cloud.

After raising her two children, she started her travel career at Carlson Wagonlit Travel, then onto Carlson Marketing Group for over 30 years. She retired as a Certified Nursing Assistant from Park Nicollet.

Jo loved traveling, with her days at Carlson taking her all over the world: Russia, Spain, London, and to several Olympic Games. She was a wonderful grandmother and loved nothing more than spending time with her three grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Sara, and Ben. She loved being with her family, cooking fancy foods, and entertaining her large group of close friends. She was a beautiful soul and was loved by so many.

Jo is survived by her daughter, Jennifer; son-in-law, Andy Hutchins; daughter-in-law, Stephanie; grandchildren, Kaitlyn (Andrew) Buchholz, Sara Gretsch, and Ben Gretsch; brothers, Bill (Sharon) Beckers, and Wally (Jean) Beckers; sisters, LuAnne (Ken) Janssen, Cindy (Buster) Fiedler, Linda (Bill) Salzer, Mary Zupanc, Donna (Rick) Scepaniak, Trudy Beckers (Doug Vogt), and Dianna (Mike) Esplan.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Catherine; son, Scott; father, Walter; and ex-husband, Ron.

A celebration of Jo’s life will be held on Friday, June 2nd at Saint Henry Catholic Church, 1001 E 7th St, Monticello, MN 55362. Visitation with family begins at 10am with a service at 11am.

The family would like to thank the CentraCare Hospice Care team for the tenderness and care they provided for Jo over the last months. We also thank our friends and extended family for their love and support.

Donations can be made in lieu of flowers, and will be used to honor Jo and her love of animals. Online donations can be made to the Animal Humane Society at https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/ .