JoAnn "Jo" Theresa (Villella) Block

JoAnn “Jo” Theresa (Villella) Block, 84 of Elk River, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Sunday, November 5, 2023. The visitation will be at Dare’s Funeral Home, 805 Main St., Elk River, MN 55330 on Thursday November 9, 2023, from 6 to 7:30 pm. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert L. Block, her parents, Joseph & Mildred (Swanson) Villella and her brother, Joseph Villella Jr.

She is survived by her two daughters, Lori (Block) & Steve Feela and Sheri (Block) & Tim Packer, three grandchildren (Josh Parker, Kristina (Packer) Stiller, and Kaylee Packer), three great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. 

JoAnn was born June 14, 1939, and lived in Northeast Minneapolis, MN until her family moved to Minnetonka, MN. She graduated from Eisenhower Senior High School. She met Robert “Bob” Block at Hopkins Bowling Alley where they both loved to bowl.  They were married on August 1, 1959. In addition to bowling, they loved classic cars and spending time with their parents. They built a home together in 1966 in New Hope, MN, in which they raised their family. Family was always the most important thing in JoAnn’s life. She loved spending time with her family, above all else, whether it was going to cabins and various resorts during the summer, fishing, or playing cards/boards games with her children and grandchildren. She especially loved the holidays surrounded with her family. She always happily entertained, with an abundance of delicious food and generous gifts. JoAnn was incredibly giving and made a lasting impression on her family and all those who met her.  

She worked as a receptionist/administrative assistant and commercial artist throughout her career at various employers such as Super Valu, Qualitone Hearing Aids, and St. Joseph Catholic Church.

JoAnn expressed her creativity and artistic talents through many of her hobbies. One of her passions was cooking and baking, in which she added extra love to all recipes to make them perfect. Her traditional, homemade Italian spaghetti & meatballs, chocolate chip cookies and various pies were some of the dishes that were famous to all those who knew her. She also passionately tended her vegetable and flower gardens which is where she spent the majority of her down time. She always loved to incorporate her homegrown ingredients into her cooking/baking and was so proud of the extra produce she could share with others. Her other hobbies included sewing, knitting, crocheting, making Christmas ornaments, and various other crafting. She put passion into everything she did.

Elvis Presley was by far JoAnn’s favorite musical artist, starting in her teenage years in the 1950s and throughout her whole life.  Her home was always filled with his music. She always said she married, “her  Elvis” when she married Bob. She enjoyed treating her family to Elvis impersonator concerts, at which she was always the most enthusiastic fan. She was often seen wearing her Elvis shirts and jacket and she loved decorating her space in all things Elvis. A few years before her passing, she was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting Graceland with her daughters. 

JoAnn put God and family above all else. She will be deeply missed, but we take comfort in knowing she is enjoying her time in heaven with those who passed before her. 

Visitation will be held from 6 PM to 7:30 PM on Thursday, November 9, 2023 at the Dare's Funeral Home, 805 Main Street NW, Elk River, 763-441-1212. Private interment at Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis. 

(www.daresfuneralservice.com)

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