Joan Rumer

Joan Rumer passed away from advanced Alzheimer's disease on May 21st, 2024, at the age of 81. She will be remembered as a fun-loving and devoted mother, grandmother, and teacher.

Joan was born as Marilyn Joan Dalton in Barnesville Ohio on February 22, 1943, welcomed to the world by her parents and older sister Sandra (Sandy) Johns. Her ornery and mischievous personality was evident from the startJoan succeeded in getting into all sorts of fun, especially in the company of her fun-loving crew, the Raunchies. This boisterous group of friends would remain close their whole lives, seeing each other through a variety of pranks in childhood, and at the annual Barnesville pumpkin festival in adulthood.

At the age of 14, Joan's life changed when she met a young man named Allen Marvin Rumer at the Flushing Roller Rink. The pair immediately hit it off, maintaining a long-distance relationshipAllen would walk or hitchhike for miles at a time, all the way from Morristown, just so he could see her. Their relationship endured even longer distances when Allen spent two years of army service in Germany. They exchanged many letters through those years, with Allen sending his to Joan's friend's house to escape her parents' disapproving eyes.

Joan was determined not to marry until she had graduated from Ohio University, where she was studying to become a teacher. She pursued her education with immense diligence, attending summer school and arranging for rides to ferry her to her out-of-town campus, and working part-time at the local general store all the while. It paid off. She graduated a year early, and married Allen promptly after, on August 30, 1964.

The Rumers decided to settle in Westerville, Ohio, where they'd live for the rest of their lives. Joan became a teacher at Whittier Elementary School, for primarily 4th grade. She loved her job. Nothing was so fulfilling to her as engaging with her students, and kids would regularly remark that she was their favorite teacher. Perhaps the best testament to her beloved status as a teacher is the fact that when Joan became pregnant with her first child in 1969, her principle let her stay and finish out the school yearan unusual allowance at the time when pregnant women were expected to leave their jobs. Joan stayed until summer came. Her firstborn daughter Natalie was born that August. Her second daughter, Jennifer, was born a year later.

With the birth of her daughters, Joan decided to take a few years off from work to raise the family. The four of them would take yearly vacations, often to Hilton Head Island. Her daughters remember their mother as someone who never looked down on their fun. Joan encouraged her daughters to play often with friends, even if that meant staying out late or throwing a good party.

Throughout her career, Joan taught 3rd and 4th graders across Westerville at several local schools, and even went back to school to work on obtaining her master's degree from Ohio State University. She dedicated 34 years of her life to teaching, before retiring in 1997.

In her later years, Joan remained a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She became Allen's caregiver when he developed dementia, looking after him until he died in 2017. She relished being a grandmother and loved watching them proudly in their mischief. Joan laughed freely and often. She had a great force of will, and a deep love of bargain-hunting, gray and white cats, home goods, and sweet treats.

Joan is predeceased by her dear husband, Allen; sister, Sandy; and her loving parents, Zalmon Francis Dalton and Lillian Virginia (Roe) Dalton. She is survived by her daughters, Natalie and Jennifer; son-in-law, David; grandchildren, Justin Young, Lauren (Young) Della Flora, Marissa Bocook, Tiffany (Schafer) Rabaiov, Logan Schafer and Blair Bocook; and great-grandchildren, Nico, Rafa, Allison and Rocky. She will be missed widely and deeply.

Service for Joan will be held at Central College Presbyterian Church 975 Sunbury Rd, Westerville, Ohio 43081 on the 28th of June with visitation from 2:30-3pm with a service starting at 3pm. Food and refreshments to follow at Central College Church and then, visitors are welcome to join the family after service at 505 East Walnut Street, Westerville, Ohio 43081.