Cover photo for Joan Dorothy (Quist)  Beddo's Obituary
1931 Joan 2021

Joan Dorothy (Quist) Beddo

August 20, 1931 — February 17, 2021

JOAN DOROTHY QUIST BEDDO
August 20, 1931-February 17, 2021


Joan Dorothy Quist was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin to Herbert A. and Thelma Elizabeth Quist. Her birth was an ominous day in U.S. and family history. The Great Depression had begun and Joan’s father, called Hub, lost his job at the Northwest Engineering Company. Out of necessity it marked the beginning of our father’s new career as a life insurance agent. Selling life and health insurance at a time when unemployment reached 25% was a challenge, and he was fortunate to make a $5.00 per month premium sale, but Dad persisted.
The young couple along with millions of other Americans struggled to survive. The Quist’s lived for a time with Thelma’s parents, Sam and Hulda Anderson in their small two-bedroom home on Hubbard Street.

Sometime in the early thirties Hub and Thelma found an apartment on Gringno Street which provided the young family their own home. On a visit to Green Bay in 2000, Joanie and I tried to locate the residence on Gringno Street. A neighbor joined our search and advised us the former residence had a converted garage apartment, but the structure had been torn down.

On April 1, 1936 a second child was born, Herbert L. Quist, who was immediately nicknamed Buster. Only two and one-half years later on August 22, 1938, another son, Terry Lloyd, was born. It became apparent that a family of five could not live in this very small apartment. Thanks to the hard work and persistence of our father, the Quist family purchased a three-bedroom home in a middle-class neighborhood and Joanie had her own private bedroom at last. The 1140 Dousman Street address would become our residence until 1950.
My first recollection of a direct interface with Joanie, although she probably changed my diapers many times, was my first day of school in 1941 when I was five. She was to take me to school. I ran into her bedroom and yelled, “Joanie, Joanie, it’s time to get ready for school.”  Joanie looked at her clock and admonished me, “Buster, it’s only 6:00. Go back to sleep. School starts at 8:30!”

Joanie was at Elmore Elementary School for only two years with me and then she moved on to Franklin Jr. High and West High School. She and four of her girlfriends were constant companions. She became an attractive blonde and the boys began to take notice. However, she had two obstacles that prevented her from developing a relationship with males. One, a protective mother, who always required her to babysit her brothers instead of accepting a date, and two, the same brothers, who discouraged potential suitors from dating her.
Lyle Tobin was a handsome red-headed young man, who called Joanie for a date. When he arrived at our house, Terry, for whatever purpose no one could ascertain, threw a golf ball at the young man, hitting him right between the eyes. Joanie referred to Terry’s antics as “monkey shines” and he was constantly doing something off the wall. Our younger brother had ADD, which was not recognized in those days.

Joanie found her opportunity to break away from the over protective schemes of her mother and the monkey shines of her brothers. At thirteen, she got a summer job as a waitress at a resort in Egg Harbor, Door County. There she worked with a large number of teenagers in 1944 and 1945. The rest of the family rented a cabin there in August, 1945. While crossing the highway to
the drug store for a chocolate shake, Terry and I, suddenly saw a parade of cars, honking their horns and shouting, “The War is over, the war is over!”  There was a monster party and celebration at the Alpine Inn that evening that lasted all night. Joanie worked her tail off, but it was also great fun for a young girl who had endured a very restrictive life. In 2008 I took Joanie on a nostalgia tour of our childhood haunts. She gazed at the ballroom, which was the site of the Victory celebration, and became misty eyed, saying, “What wonderful memories.”  On that trip we spent considerable time with Larry Lawrence and his wife Pat. Larry was Aunt Elsie’s son and he and Joanie were classmates all through junior high and high school. Larry’s father died when he was three and his mother left for Chicago shortly after, leaving Larry with our grandparents. The Andersons and the Quists became his family and Larry was like another brother.

Joanie graduated from West High in 1949. Her school album’s theme was “The 49er’s of 1949.” The theme was propitious. After enrolling in Oshkosh State Teacher’s College in the fall of 1949, her family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico and she transferred to the University of New Mexico, which was kind of like going to the old west.  It didn’t take long for Joanie to meet the love of her life at UNM. One day she announced to her two “bothers” that her boyfriend was about to call and there would absolutely not be any monkeyshines. I peered out the front windows and saw a flashy red and white Buick convertible. Out stepped a tall handsome young man, who looked like a movie star. I was impressed. Joanie’s date was Byron L. Beddo. I liked Byron immediately and he was like a brother to me. He was the only serious boyfriend, Joanie ever had. Byron and Joanie married on September 1, 1954 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. I was Byron’s best man and left for my freshman year of college the next day.

I must tell a couple of stories that involve Joanie and me.
Bryon was enrolled in medical school on a scholarship from the U.S. Navy. For a short time, he was stationed at a naval base near Oceanside, Ca. In January, 1960 I was living in Los Angeles and training to make the Olympic Team. I called my sis and made a date for dinner at Knotts Berry Farm near their home. I introduced my sister and brother-in-law to my girlfriend, a gorgeous eighteen-year-old petite lady, Marilyn Corsmeier. I was age twenty-four. I don’t think Joanie ever recovered from meeting this young aspiring starlet, who I planned to marry, but didn’t.

Two years later, Joanie and Bryon were living in Denver where Dr. Beddo was completing his residency at the University of Colorado Medical School. Again, I made a date to have dinner and introduce them to another lady I wanted to marry, Olivia Jane Savage. She was age twenty-nine, one year younger than my sister, and had two children the same ages as Debbie and Bobbie. My sister was obviously in shock, but true to her nature, she didn’t say anything negative. Fifty-nine years have passed since that day. The Beddos and the Quist have been lifelong trusted friends and family and Joanie was always happy that her little brother, as she called me, had as happy a marriage as she did.

Joanie has passed on and joins her beloved husband Byron for eternity. Byron and brother Terry and nephew Hunter Quist preceded her in death. She is survived by four daughters: Deborah Jo Gouldsmith, Roberta Allison Johnson (Wayne), Jeannine Leslie Beddo, Karen Lin Dwyer; five grandchildren: David Gouldsmith (Tammy), Mark Gouldsmith (Laura), Kristen Herron (Jake), Kyle Johnson (Erin), Courtney Johnson; five great grandchildren: Penny and Jonah Gouldsmith, Lucas and Julian Gouldsmith, Landon Johnson; her brother: Herbert L.
“Buster” Quist (Olivia), half-brother: David A. Quist, sister-in-law Linda Quist and cousin: Larry Lawrence (Pat) and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2021, 1:00 p.m., at First Christian Church, 10101 Montgomery Blvd. NE.  In lieu of flowers, consider contributing to the Albuquerque Chapter of the Animal Humane Society.

To send flowers to the family in memory of Joan Dorothy (Quist) Beddo, please visit our flower store.

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Thursday, February 25, 2021

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