Joan Frances (Ganje) Tvedten
4/4/1951–3/27/2021
Passed away peacefully in her Oakdale home after a courageous battle with cancer. Richard Tvedten, her devoted husband of 48 years, was by her side.
Born April 4, 1951, in St. Paul, Joan was the eldest daughter to Clarence and Kay (Gangl) Ganje. She grew up with an older brother, Don, and two sisters: Marilyn and Nancy. The family lived at 1383 Asbury Street in the Como neighborhood, where Joan attended Holy Childhood elementary school and high school at St. Joseph’s Academy. Joan fondly recalled family trips to Eagle Butte, South Dakota, and Mandan, North Dakota, to visit grandparents.
In the fall of 1970, Joan met Rich in an American Studies class on the campus of the University of Minnesota. In October 1972, Joan and Rich were married at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church. They shared an apartment near Washburn-Fair Oaks Park in Minneapolis. In 1973, they bought a small farm near River Falls, Wisconsin. Joan finished nursing school at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and began working with infants at the hospital in Hudson as an RN.
In 1981, Joan and Rich adopted their first child, Ole. They were blessed the following year with a second son, Erik. Wishing to be closer to family in the Twin Cities, they built their Oakdale home. Joan continued her nursing career in the ICU at St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood. In 1985, their third son, Kristian, was born. In 1987, a fourth son, Anders, followed.
Joan enjoyed sharing the beauty of nature with her four curious children. For many years the family spent a week each summer at Big Timber, a small resort on North Star Lake near Grand Rapids, Minnesota. In 1989, Joan and Rich purchased two acres of land on Bark Point, a small peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Superior. The site of many family vacations, the sandy beaches and cold waters of Lake Superior were reachable only by scaling a steep bluff via rope. In 2005, Joan and Rich engaged a builder to construct a log cabin facing the Lake. Joan loved the serenity of the cabin, and it became their home away from home.
Joan was a registered nurse for 38 years, most often doing the important, challenging work of caring for ICU patients. Having lived with M.S. for 15 years, Joan left the hospital setting to begin training patients across Minnesota to administer self-injection medication. A nurse until her final days, Joan greatly enjoyed her career.
Joan was active in her faith, serving in church leadership roles, co-directing the Stations of the Cross ministry, traveling to Italy and the Vatican, and finding quiet times to pray and reflect on life’s challenges and blessings. More recently, she and Rich have enjoyed singing in the choir at their church, St. Pascal Baylon.
In retirement, Joan traveled often. She and Rich visited Norway on two different occasions, as well as Holland, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. They fulfilled a longtime dream of driving the Lake Superior circle tour, and visited many national parks with their children and grandchildren. Joan was a talented cook, baker, and gardener. She also loved reading – at her cabin, in book clubs, or with her grandchildren. Though her ancestry was German and Austrian, Joan shared Rich’s enthusiasm for her adopted Norwegian heritage. Her homemade lefse was always a highlight of holiday celebrations.
Joan was a beautiful woman who loved unconditionally, lived faithfully, and laughed often. She leaves behind her devoted husband, Rich; sons Ole (Jenni) of Sartell, Erik (Christina) of Lake Elmo, Kristian (Sarah) of St. Paul, and Anders (Maggie) of Coon Rapids; and grandchildren Ella (13), Maren (11), Adeline (9), Grace (7), Eleanor (5), Harriet (3), Veronica (9), Mary Clare (7), Anastasia (5), Thomas (2), and Cora (3 mo). Her twelfth grandchild is expected in September. She is preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Kay Ganje.
Funeral Services: Tuesday 4/6/21.
• Visitation: 8-10am at Sandberg Funeral Home, 2593 – 7th Ave. E.,
North St. Paul.
• Mass of Christian Burial: 10:30am at Church of St. Pascal Baylon,
1757 Conway St., St. Paul.
Interment St. Mary's Cemetery following Mass.
PLEASE NOTE: Seating is limited to 125 at the Funeral Mass. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.
. Reserve seating by registering online at stpascals.org or call (651) 774-1585
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Feed My Starving Children (https://www.fmsc.org).