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Strength comes in various shapes and sizes. At times, it can be taken as rough, misdirected and a little challenging. But the strength possessed by Joann was also of commitment, resilience, tenacity, compassion and all out love. On June 20, 2021 Joann Kay (Lambert) Rohlfs was called upon to dedicate and share her tireless strength to needs of our Lord.
A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Friday, June 25 at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck. Visitation will be held one-hour prior at the funeral home.
Burial will be held 1 p.m. Thursday, July 1 at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.
Born to LJ and Vernie Lambert on January 3, 1949 in Redfield, South Dakota, Joann grew up on a small but successful farm west of Ashton, SD, along with her older brother, Jim. After graduating from Redfield High School, Joann’s love to help others drew her to pursue healthcare and attend Saint Joseph’s School of Nursing, Huron, SD, where she would become a registered nurse. Shortly after nursing school, Joann caught the eye and fell in love with Dennis Rohlfs. Married in 1970, the two chose to raise a family in Bismarck where Joann worked at Bismarck Hospital, Missouri Slope Lutheran Home and Mid Dakota Clinic. Joann made tireless sacrifices to support not only a very active young family but was the rock and hidden leader behind a thriving entrepreneurial husband. She also took on headfirst and won a courageous battle as a breast cancer survivor in 2008.
Upon Dennis and Joann’s retirement in 2006, a home was built on the big lake where they enjoyed watching grandchildren grow, seasons change, wildlife play, attempts at catching fish, and hosting countless family and friend gatherings. Mom enjoyed the convenience and luxury of ordering on Amazon which always made for entertaining holidays with her thoughtful bulk ordered gifting. Mom also deeply cared for those in need by generously sharing their successes with those less fortunate or in need through her various philanthropic efforts.
For those of an older generation, many home shelves were adorned with the popular Encyclopedia Britannica. Mom loved to prove us wrong with her wealth of useless knowledge as she marched to the living room in pursuit of validating her statement via the huge row of dusty brown book of facts. You can imagine how life changing her discover of Google was to all of us. Jokingly, Joann states “You can agree, or you can be wrong.”
Her legendary baking and cooking were lovingly shared and sometimes experimented on by those who entered her gourmet kitchen. She would attempt to replicate the complex culinary delights of her 24-hour cooking network. But her reliable casseroles and 101 ways to cook with cream of mushroom soup were always failsafe tummy pleasers and will be missed.
She had a timely sense of humor to make all those in a room enjoy the moment and lighten a mood. Never was she intimidated by the white elephant in any room and our heart goes out to every customer service representative that had to listen to her dissatisfaction of their respective product or service.
All kidding aside, nothing equals the love and tenderness that this woman gave to all those around her.
Joann will be missed by husband Dennis, Pick City; daughter, Jodi Herslip and her husband Zach, Bismarck; son, Tom Rohlfs and girlfriend Kelly Scherr, Bismarck; grandchildren, Brody, Kade, Madigan, Savanna and Kaj; brother, Jim Lambert, Las Vegas, Nev.
She will be reuniting with her father, Loren Joseph Lambert; and mother, Vernie Emma (Authier) Lambert.
Mom kept the whole thing together and gave us all a safe place to rest. Mom, now it’s your turn to rest and see the world around you.
Memorials may be made to the Abused Adult Resource Center, Bismarck, or Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue, Lincoln.
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Joann Rohlfs, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
