Joan Mersereau Van Horne

Frankfort - Joan Carol Mersereau Van Horne, 87, passed away peacefully Monday, January 15, 2024. Services will be held at First United Methodist Church on Friday, January 26, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. with Pastor Tom Corum, Dr. Jack Brewer, and Father Sean Duggan officiating. Burial will follow at Frankfort Cemetery. Visitation will be held at First United Methodist Church from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Born March 11, 1936, in Jersey City, New Jersey, Joan was the daughter of Henry Percy and Jennie Dorothea Mersereau. She was one of six siblings and, besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her sisters Jean, Marilyn, Arlene, and brother Kenneth Mersereau. She was an excellent student, being advanced two grades and graduating valedictorian of her high school class at age sixteen. She married and moved to Kentucky in 1962. She became Executive Assistant in the Governor’s Office in 1972, where she worked for seven governors over 30 years. Joan expressed her joy of life through singing. Before she was the friend we all know, before she was a mother, and even before she was a wife, she was a singer. As a teenager, she sang in her Methodist church choir. In 1966, she became a member of Frankfort's First United Methodist Church and joined the choir. She continued as a choir soprano until well into her eighties. Her singing was her own particularly skillful way of sharing her joy with the world. She loved boating on the Kentucky river, gardening and caring for her beloved pets. Her quick-witted sense of humor and fun-loving demeanor made her many friends. She was a curious lifelong learner who enjoyed staying engaged with current events, UK sports, and culture. Loved by many, she is survived by her three children; George Ransom Van Horne, III, Robert Kenneth Van Horne, Sr. (Linda) and Jolene Carol Van Horne. She is additionally survived by her brother Henry Mersereau; seven grandchildren, Robert Jr. (Emma), John, Joe, Sarah, Michael, George IV, and Margot Van Horne; and her nieces and nephews, Brett and Jennie Duggan, Wayne and Gary Picone, Hank Mersereau, David, Cheryl, and Jonathan Weber. She also leaves behind her faithful neighbors; Pam and George Eichhorn, and David Armstrong. Pallbearers are Robert Van Horne, Jr., Joey Van Horne, Michael Van Horne, George VanHorne, IV, Steve Simpson and Gary Gebhart. Honorary Pallbearers are Margot Van Horne, Sarah Van Horne, and Albert Kinman. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to the Salvation Army or First United Methodist Church Music Endowment. Arrangements are under the direction of Harrod Brothers Funeral Home & Crematory.

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Joan Mersereau Van Horne

March 11, 1936 - January 15, 2024