Jo Ann (Joni) was born on her parents’ farm in Ord, Nebraska on November 1, 1938. She was raised on that farm where she did chores like cooking on a wood-fired stove; feeding chickens, ducks, and geese; collecting eggs; and milking cows. By the time she was eight, she was even driving a team of horses.

She began her education in a one-room country school house. She graduated from Ord High School at the age of 16 and enrolled at Kearney State College in Nebraska. There she earned a BA degree and afterward began her teaching career in 1959.

She met her future husband, Nick Pelster in Sidney, Nebraska in 1959. They were married in Ord in January 1961. After getting married, Joni raised four sons while her husband often traveled for work. She and her young family lived in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Utah, before finally settling in Walnut Creek, California in 1974.

In Walnut Creek, Joni became an avid walker and began a forty-plus year tenure with CBS bible study as a student and teacher. In addition to being a bible study teacher, Joni offered private tutoring for foreign students in her home.

Joni was a selfless angel who touched so many lives in so many ways. It was her goal in life to lead everyone to Jesus Christ. Her faith in Jesus, and her love for her entire family and all her friends, was a great inspiration to everyone who knew her. Now that she has been called home to be with Jesus, she is at rest in the eternal arms of her Savior.

She is survived by her husband, 4 sons,12 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at St, Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Concord, CA on April 17th, 2026 at 12:00 pm. A burial service will occur at a later date in Ord, Nebraska. In lieu of flowers, a contribution to Legionaries of Christ (legionariesofchrist.org) would be appreciated.

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