Alice J. "Joann" Lake's Obituary
Alice J. “Joann” Lake, age 76 of Batesville, died Monday, January 9, 2017 at Margaret Mary Health. Born June 12, 1940 in Franklin County Indiana, she is the daughter of Mae (Nee: Blackburn) and Luther Gesell. She married Jerry Lake on June 6, 1964 at St. Michael’s Church in Brookville, Indiana. Joann worked as a bookkeeper for Western-Southern Insurance 26 years before she and Jerry opened the Batesville Liquor Store. They owned the store for 31 years.
Joann enjoyed trying her luck. She looked forward to the riverboat outings and their regular trips to Vegas. Over the years, in addition to Vegas, they traveled quite a bit, getting to see many parts of the country along with some overseas trips which included Rome. Other interests included following the Bengals, bowling in her earlier years, watching sports of all kinds and doing jig saw puzzles. Joann and Jerry liked to eat out often, which worked out well because apparently Joann’s cooking skills were modest.
She is survived by her husband Jerry; sister Sylvia Lunsford of Brookville, Indiana; brothers Floyd Gesell of Brookville, Indiana, Robert Gesell of St. Leon, Indiana and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she is also preceded in death by sisters Lorene Feller, Virginia Tebbe and brothers Orville, Donald and Merlin Gesell.
Visitation is Thursday, January 12th, from 4 – 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Funeral services are 10:30 a.m. Friday, January 13th, at St. Louis Church with Rev. Stan Pondo officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family requests memorials to the Nathan Lake Memorial Scholarship Fund.
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