Joan Ellen (Pflughaupt) Vandenberg was born to Henry and Alma (Schomburg) Pflughaupt on July 28, 1936, in Seward County, Nebraska.  She passed away January 17, 2023, at the age of 86 years, 5 months and 20 days in Seward, Nebraska.

She was baptized on August 9, 1936, and confirmed on April 2, 1950, at Zion Lutheran Church in Staplehurst, Nebraska. She attended school through the 8 ^th grade at Marysville Lutheran School and graduated from high school in Staplehurst, Nebraska.  She completed Cosmetology in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Joan was united in marriage to Fred "Fritz" Vandenberg on August 24, 1954, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Seward, Nebraska.  They were blessed with four children.  Joan was a devoted wife, mother and "Granny."  She celebrated 65 years of marriage with Fritz in 2019.

Fred and Joan raised their family on a farm southeast of David City. Joan had a salon in their basement at the farm, so she could help family, friends, and neighbors with their hair. She loved dancing with Fred, gardening, going on an occasional casino trip, playing dominoes and aggravation, knitting and she loved eating out, especially on Friday night enjoying carp in Brainard. She made delicious, canned meat which she turned into beef salad that her grandkids loved.  For many years she baked dozens of cookies for all the kids and grandkids for Christmas. She loved traveling to all the many family activities for her kids, grandkids, and great-grandchildren. She enjoyed being a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in David City.

Joan is preceded in death by her husband, Fred; parents, Henry and Alma (Schomburg) Pflughaupt; mother and father-in-law, Henry and Helen Vandenberg; sister and brother-in-law, Aloha (Pflughaupt) and Clarence "Barney" Pozehl; brother, Terry Pflughaupt,; daughter-in-law, Becky (Tate) Vandenberg; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Beatrice (Vandenberg), George Hotovy, Sally and Ernest "Dutch" Vandenberg and sister-in-law, Marie (Vandenberg) Hoeft.

Joan is survived by sons, Nick and Linda (Brokaw), David City, Greg and Kathy (Wood), Seward, Steve Vandenberg, Emerald and Jeff and Judy (Kallenbach), Seward; 19 grandchildren: Jayme and Harley Kelly, Lincoln, Amanda Oliver and Jon (Wegner), West Point, Darek and Nicole (Sypal) Vandenberg, Staplehurst, Chad and Sara (Jedlicka), Dike, Iowa, Carl and Nisma (Dahood), Lincoln, Angie (Tate) and Mike Hertzel, Lincoln, Autumn Tate, Las Vegas, and Jeff Jr. and Kelly (Newsome) Vandenberg, Omaha, Jennifer (Vandenberg) and Curt Thomas, Lincoln, Joshua and Shelly (Besch), Omaha as well as 23 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great granddaughter and brother-in-law, Norm Hoeft, David City. To this obituary we add our thoughts, prayers and memories of a life shared with Joan.