Joanne (Voge) Topolovec, 91, of Kenosha, WI, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on January 12, 2022. Joanne must have gotten a call from Rudy, who departed this life before her, asking her if she wanted to go polka dancing, which is a dance they enjoyed very much. She responded by leaving this life to go dancing with the love of her life of almost 70 years.
Joanne was born in Racine, WI, to Leslie and Ruth (Higgins) Voge. She lived in Ives Grove until her marriage to Rudy Topolovec on December 4, 1948, after which time the couple lived in Kenosha. Joanne was introduced to Rudy by one of his good friends, Chuck Riley.
Joanne and Rudy spent many years together camping (truly camping) in northern Wisconsin, fishing and water skiing. She really enjoyed water skiing, going back and forth over the boat’s wake. She water skied until she was 65 years young. They spent many winters during their retired years in Naples, Florida, where they had a motorized RV home.
They did a lot of dancing and roller skating. Joanne always liked her family to look nice and be dressed well when they went out. She worked at several restaurants as a waitress, ending up at Krok’s, where she worked for close to 25 years. She enjoyed sewing. She made wedding gowns, miniature bride dresses, and bridesmaid dresses for several family members. She also made a tarp cover for their boat, along with a lot of very nice clothing for her family.
Joanne was a good cook and always kept a very nice, clean, and tidy home. She was a good mother-in-law and grandmother. She made Cabbage Patch dolls for her grandchildren, and Barbie doll clothes for Carol’s Barbie doll. During spring break she and Rudy would have their Illinois granddaughters come up for the week to visit. They also did a lot of babysitting for their Wisconsin grandchildren. She introduced her grandchildren to camping, and some of them continued the tradition. She started her life as a farmer’s daughter and ended up a city slicker. Both she and Rudy always treated all their children and grandchildren equally.
Joanne was preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters, and is survived by her sister, Rita (Gerry) Molitor and her brother, Karl (Kathy) Voge. She is survived by her son, Michael (Linda) Topolovec, her daughter, Carol Weyrauch, her five grandchildren, her eleven great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandson and many other extended family members.
