Joann Katherine Holder

May 10, 1937 — February 9, 2023

Joann Katherine Klink Holder, age 85, passed away peacefully on February
9, 2023. She was the daughter of Clayton and Ruth Klink of Greensburg,
Indiana. The eldest of four girls, raised on a farm, Joann attended
Wittenberg University and achieved a two year teaching certificate. She later
attended Ohio University and completed a four year education degree. She
began her teaching career in Columbus, OH.
She and her husband, Ralph, were married 63 years and spent the majority of
those years in Belpre, OH.
Joann spent 34 years teaching Kindergarten-First Grade with the Belpre City
Schools. Her greatest love was teaching young students to read and she
created many innovations to help her students succeed, such as bringing
members of her husbands' football team into her classroom as reading
buddies.
Joann was highly involved with Belpre High School athletics to help support
her husband as coach. Belpre football had the best printed program in the
conference for years because of her relentlessness and she garnered support
from all the area businesses.
Her second career included sitting on the Board of Directors of Belpre First
Federal and later serving as their Marketing Director. She loved this job
because it allowed her to be out in the community working with business
owners and keep a pulse of developments in the area.
She and her husband also began a house rental business which operates as
Holder Harbour in Belpre.
Joann was always looking for ways to improve her community and she
pioneered many initiatives through: Belpre Woman' s Club and the Ohio
Federation of Women's Clubs, Music by the River, United Way, Belpre
Area Community Development Foundation, Delta Kappa Gamma, Smoot
Theatre Board, Artsbridge, Belpre in Bloom, and Safety Town. She was a
member of the Belpre Congregational Church.
Joann is survived by her husband, Ralph, and three children, Mike (Kelly),
Leesa, and Lee (Ellesor). She has six grandchildren: Alex Bell, Erik Bell,
Katie Bell, Shawn Holder, Jorden Holder, and Rachel Holder. She also has
one surviving sister, Mary Beth Tate (Charles) and God-children Jim and
Jayne Maerker.
The family would like to thank Shrivers Hospice for their excellent care.
Services will be held at the Belpre High School gymnasium on February 25 at
2:00 p.m. Visitation will be held an hour prior to the service.

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Joann Katherine Holder

May 10, 1937 — February 9, 2023

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