Joanne Utter Obituary (1931 - 2021) - Bloomington, Illinois

Joanne Utter, 89, of Bloomington, passed away Monday, January 18, 2021 at OSF Healthcare St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington. A combined graveside service to honor the lives of Joanne and Richard will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, February 19, 2021 at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Bloomington. Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington, is assisting the family with arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Humane Society of Central Illinois. She was born August 26, 1931 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, a daughter of James E. and Lilla Stoffel Holbrook. Joanne and Richard Utter were married for 68 years prior to his passing. Surviving are five children, Sherry Fitzgerald of Spring, TX, Terri (Tim) Peifer of Bloomington, Tracy (Greg) Klawitter of Heyworth, Richard Jr. of Bloomington and Jerry (Lisa) Utter of Chandler, AZ; 12 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; two brothers, R. James (Joyce) Holbrook of Edina, MN and Jerald (Ruthie) Holbrook of Syracuse, NY; and a sister, Bonnie Claeys of Stuart, FL. She was preceded in death by a sister, Jacqueline Radford; a son-in-law, Bob Fitzgerald; and a great-grandson, Eli Wheet. They enjoyed spending winters in Stuart, Florida with Joanne's family. Joanne worked at JC Penney's in Bloomington for 30 years. She loved country-western dancing and traveling. She cherished her dog, Molly, who never left her side.