Jo Reiser

Jo Ann Reiser, age 73 of Fredericksburg, IA, died Saturday November 5, 2011, at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo of Lou Gehrigs Disease (ALS). A Celebration of Life Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 3, 2011, at the Fredericksburg Farm House Bed and Breakfast Inn, Gathering Room. Hugeback & Chenoweth Funeral Homes are entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences for Jo Ann's family may be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com Jo Ann was born February 2, 1938, on the Steege Family Farm, in rural Fredericksburg, Iowa the daughter of Everett W. and Mata Irene (Landau) Steege. She attended country schools in Dresden Township, rural Fredericksburg and graduated from the Fredericksburg High School in 1956. As a young girl she was active in 4-H and at school playing basketball, participating in cheerleading and playing in the band. Later in life, she graduated from the Business Institute of Technology in Cedar Falls in 1986. She recieved her degree as a legal secretery and worked for attorney Barton Schwieger in Waterloo. On November 22, 1956, at Peace United Church of Christ in Fredericksburg, she was united in marriage to Marlin Bloem of Frederika. To this union four children wer born; Mark, James, DeAnn and Heidi. The couple farmed north of Tripoli for over 29 years. Jo Ann farmed side by side with her husband. The couple later divorced. In 1996, Jo Ann began dating an old classmate, Warren Reiser, and on December 2, 2000, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, the couple married. They made Belmont, WI their home. She worked for Pioneer Property Management as an Administrative Assistant. Jo Ann retired in the fall of 2010 when her health made working no longer possible. She was then cared for at her daughter's home until the last few hours at the Hospice House in Waterloo. Jo Ann had a passion for shopping, music and spending time with her grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, Warren; one son, James Bloem of Sumner, IA; two daughters, DeAnn Frazee of Muscatine, IA and Heidi (Michael) Showers of Fredericksburg, IA; two brothers, Max (Barb) Steege of Swisher, IA and Evan (Roselle) Steege of New York Mills, MN; six grandchildren, Sarah Hamed, Stephanie Sheilds, Jessica Waller, Elizabeth Rotz, Micah Showers and Gabriel Showers; six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; one son, Mark; one grandson, Jerrod Schultz.