JoAnn Hoppenjans

JoAnn (Droege) Hoppenjans (77) of Sylvania Ohio passed away on September 3, 2025, surrounded by her family. 

JoAnn was born February 27, 1948 in Covington, Kentucky as the third child to Anne and John Droege. She married John Richard (Dick) Hoppenjans on June 28, 1969. This past June they celebrated their 56th anniversary together with family at Sea Colony in Bethany Beach Delaware, where they had spent many family vacations over the years.

JoAnn earned her nursing degree at Good Samaritan College of Nursing in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1969. In that same year, she received her license as a Registered Nurse and began a nursing career at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. JoAnn worked as a nurse until she and Dick began a family in 1971. She never lost her knack for nursing: she lovingly cared for family and friends, and was known for accurately predicting a condition or diagnosis before someone even went to a doctor. 

In 1974, JoAnn moved to Sylvania Ohio and put all of her energy into raising children and creating a loving family. She went back to work in the 1980’s as an aerobics instructor for Bodi-Fit, and finished her working career as the Office Manager of Central Park West Rehabilitation. JoAnn was an active member of St. Joseph’s Church Sylvania, including providing leadership to the children’s liturgy program. She developed some of her closest and longest friendships through the church.

JoAnn was an extraordinary wife, mother, and grandmother. She made everything more fun. She made cookies for every holiday, served dessert after breakfast, and always had candy in her purse. She was the ultimate hostess: She and Dick hosted countless celebrations including Friday night card games, Christmas caroling parties, Thanksgiving dinners, and family gatherings. She loved socializing and never turned down an invitation for a party, trip, or happy hour. 

When JoAnn and Dick both retired, they spent more time traveling. They enjoyed visiting friends, exploring national parks, and spending part of the winter in Florida, where they golfed and played cards with friends. JoAnn was an avid cardplayer and was part of several bridge groups for many years. She taught her kids and grandkids to love games and she beamed with pride when a grandkid would greet her at the door with a game in hand. 

In July, JoAnn learned she had terminal cancer and she lived the last 2 months with abundant courage, grace, and peace. JoAnn passed knowing and feeling the love of her family and friends. 

JoAnn is survived by her husband of 56 years, John (Dick) Hoppenjans; three children and their spouses: John (J.R.) and Tracy Hoppenjans, Jill Hoppenjans and Elizabeth (Liz) Adams, James (Jimmy) and Andrea Hoppenjans; and eight grandchildren: Jarod, Andrew, Joey, Lauren, Charlie, Ella, Claire, Marcus. She also leaves behind her siblings Sister Mary Margaret Droege, Margaret (Marge) Kuhlman, Ron Droege (Emily), and Terry Harmon (P.J.), as well as many other dear family and friends. 

JoAnn was preceded in death by her parents, John and Anne (Pauly) Droege.

In lieu of flowers, JoAnn asked that donations be made to the Sisters of Notre Dame’s Uganda Mission. The Mission there has grown from a small plot in the isolated bush of Uganda to a compound made up of a primary boarding school, a nursery school, a formation center, a farm, and a top-ranked, all-girls secondary boarding school. sndusa.org/donateky or Office of Mission Advancement, 250 Grandview Drive, Suite 50, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017. 

Everyone is welcome to join the family in honoring JoAnn at any or all of these events: Visitation will be held Thursday September 11,2025 at Reeb Funeral Home, 5712 Main St, Sylvania, OH, from 4:00-7:00 PM with a Rosary at 6:30pm. Mass will be held Friday September 12, 2025 at 10:00 AM at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 5373 Main St, Sylvania, OH and streamed online via stjoesylvania.org/livestream. A luncheon will be held after the funeral mass at St. Joseph’s Parish Family Center, 6516 Ravine Drive, Sylvania, OH. Please join us!

JoAnn’s ashes will be interred at Toledo Memorial Park, Sylvania Ohio. 

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