Joanne Lawren Oesterle of Chelsea, Michigan, age 87, passed away Friday, October 16, 2026, at her home of 68 years. She was born February 21, 1939, in Illinois, the daughter of Samuel and Clara (Credi) Ghidotti.
Joanne spent her very early years in southwestern Michigan before moving to Chelsea with her mother and older sister, Mary Lou. She attended Catholic school through 8th grade and graduated from Chelsea High School in 1957. While in high school, she worked at the downtown Chelsea Pharmacy lunch counter making sandwiches and serving ice cream. In the summers, she also worked at Gaunt’s gladiola farms, becoming a top flower grader for the company by the time she was 18.
The first time she met Sumner Oesterle was when he “rescued” her and her sister, Mary Lou, while they were stuck on the side of the road. Mary Lou was driving them home when it began to rain. She couldn’t figure out how to turn on the windshield wipers and pulled over to find the right controls, mistakenly pulling several knobs off the dashboard. Sumner replaced all the knobs Mary Lou had pulled off the dash, told her she was a darn fool, and got them back on their way. Mary Lou, who had already been on a couple of dates with Sumner, wasn’t surprised by his ribbing. Joanne, however, thought her sister could do better. Fast forward to the fall of 1957, and Joanne and Sumner were married in Columbus, Ohio.
