Joanne May Boyle, age 91 of New Ulm died unexpectedly on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at the New Ulm Medical Center in New Ulm with her family by her side.

Mass of Christian burial will be 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 27, 2023, at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm. Father Jerry Meidl will celebrate the Mass, and burial will follow in the New Ulm Catholic Cemetery.Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26th, and continue from 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Thursday all at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home-North Chapel in New Ulm. The Christian Mothers will pray the Rosary at 4pm on Wednesday, July 26th at the Cathedral in New Ulm. To leave an online condolence for her family, or to sign the guestbook, go to: mvfh.org

Joanne is survived by her daughter, Sara (Richard) Trautner of Richfield, her sons, Daniel (Patti) Boyle of Louisville, Kentucky, Joseph (Katie) Boyle of Lake Elmo; her grandchildren, Nick (Kristin) Trautner of Richfield, Matthew Boyle of Louisville, Kentucky, Hannah (Chuck) Lechleiter of Louisville, Kentucky, Martha (Sean) McDonaugh of Woodbury, Emily Boyle of Lauderdale, Julia (Phil) Hollway of Costa Mesa, California, Sophia Broshears of Woodbury, Maria (Tony Walsh) Broshears of Eagan; her great-grandchildren, Benjamin and Clara Trautner, Scarlett Hollway; and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Gerald “Jerry” Boyle in 2021; her daughter, Bridget Broshears in 2014; her sisters, Catherine Gehlen, Mary Gehlen, Doris Harpel, Irene Hoelz, Claire Steck Rowe; and her brothers, Mark, Bert, Richard, Joe, and Father Al Gehlen.

Joanne May Gehlen was born May 22, 1932, in Glencoe, Minnesota to Joseph and Kate (Willems) Gehlen. Growing up in Glencoe, Joanne attended grade school at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School, and was a 1950 graduate from Glencoe High School. Joanne married the love of her life, Jerry Boyle on February 2, 1952, at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Glencoe. This union blessed the couple with two sons and two daughters whom together they eventually raised in New Ulm when they moved to town in 1963. Joanne started her career as a secretary at the McLeod Co-op Association in Glencoe. She later began her 21-year career with State Bank and Trust (later became Frandsen Bank) of New Ulm where she started as a teller. Joanne became the hostess of the Statesman’s Room for the bank. This job sparked a lifelong love for travel with Jerry which took the couple across the world.

Joanne enjoyed staying busy. When she wasn’t working at the bank or raising her family, she spent many hours giving back to her community and church. Joanne served as a board member at the Lind House in New Ulm for six years, volunteered at the MRCI Bargain store, and also served countless meals for those in need with Meals on Wheels. She and Jerry also took part in welcoming a newly arrived Vietnamese family to New Ulm. Many laughs were shared with friends over countless hands of cards with the numerous bridge clubs she was involved with as well. To relax, Joanne enjoyed sitting down to read a good book, or playing a competitive game of Scrabble. Joanne was an active member of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity where she served for many years as a Lector, was active in a rosary group, and as a Eucharistic minister served communion to the homebound.

Joanne lived a strong 91 years of life, and she lived each one of them to the fullest. She left a great example to her family of a woman to follow. Joanne was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a faithful volunteer, and a steadfast woman of faith. She will be dearly missed by all who had the privilege of having her in their lives. Blessed be her memory.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the donor’s choice.

MVFH.org

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