Joann S. Nordenstam

Nov. 16, 1926 – June 8, 2015

After suffering a stroke the previous day, Joann Strom Nordenstam died on June 8, 2015, at the North Big Horn Hospital. Johanna Backstrom was the middle child born to Karl Mauritz Backstrom (Charles Mauritz Strom) and Alice Mortensen in Cowley on Nov. 16, 1926.

She spent the first six years of her life in Cowley building fond memories with her mother’s extended family. When the depression hit, the entire family moved to their father’s homeland of Sweden. Unfortunately, the depression followed them there.

In Sweden, she quickly learned the language and customs of their new homeland. Her formal education ended at the sixth grade because the family could not fund further education. Her dreams of becoming a teacher or a nurse ended there, but her learning never stopped.  She read the newspaper from cover to cover, never missed a crossword puzzle and could correctly answer most of the questions on nightly Jeopardy episodes.

As a young teen she worked at a bakery, a candy store and a flower shop,  eventually meeting and later marrying  a handsome solider by the name of Bror Vilhelm Nordenstam.  As to not forget the date, they married on Johanna’s 21st birthday.

A short year later the Backstrom family decided to return to Cowley, and so did Johanna and Bror. To afford the passage they sold all their wedding presents and other belongings. Like many of those who traveled through Ellis Island new “American” names were selected for them and they were then known as Bill Vilhelm Nordenstam and Joann Strom Nordenstam.

A year after returning to Cowley, a son was born at midnight on Joann’s birthday. The doctor reasoned that everyone should have their own birthday and wrote Nov. 17, 1949, on Tom Vilhelm’s birth record. In 1953, Bill and Joann built their lifelong home and welcomed their daughter Karin Monica, to be followed four years later by their son, Brent Arne.

Devoted to her husband and family, Joann worked hard to make a wonderful home and life for them all. One of Joann’s favorite places on earth was the family cabin that Bill and Joann restored with the family in 1960s. It’s become a place of gathering and love for the entire family. You would often find her sitting on the porch in her favorite rocking chair where she would blow bubbles to her great grandchildren, teach them songs or humor her company with stories of Sweden.

Many knew Joann as a homemaker but did not realize what a talented artist she was.  She was an excellent seamstress, did extraordinary handwork and was an excellent knitter and a talented artist in both acrylic painting and pencil drawing and ceramics. She had a real love of flowers, raising most from seed, and her yard was always beautiful.

But her greatest love, next to Bill, were her grandchildren.  Grandma Jo had a wonderful and personal relationship with each and every one of them.  They all truly felt her love and returned the love to her in many ways.

Preceding her in death were both of her parents, Charlie and Alice Strom; all siblings, Maurice Dalton, Rolf Strom, Kennard Strom and Bessie Whitney, and her husband of 50 years, Bill.  Surviving her are her children Tom (Roxanne) of Sheridan, Monica Miller of Cowley and Brent (Susan) of Cowley, her grandchildren Erik (Leah)  Nordenstam, Britt (Rob) Rohde, Leif (Sinta) Nordenstam, Matthew (Heather) Miller, Kristina (Brian) Stinson, Kimberly (Cleve) Wilson and Chad Nordenstam and 13 great-grandchildren. She was also Grandma Jo or Aunt Joann to many whom she cared about and shared her love.   She has left her family with a deep appreciation of life and will be deeply missed.

Services will be held on Monday, June 29, at 10 a.m. at Haskell Funeral Home, with interment of ashes to follow immediately at the Cowley Cemetery.