Joan Victoria Fechner Treesh-Reetz, 89, passed away peacefully Monday, January 22, 2024, at Grey Stone Care and Rehabilitation in Fort Wayne, IN.  Born March 31, 1934, in Fort Wayne, IN, she was the daughter of Otto and Marie Fox Fechner.

A proud 1952 graduate of St. Joseph High School in Garrett, IN, Joan enjoyed class reunions. She married Don Eugene Treesh the same year. They reared their family in Garrett. After Don died in 1999, the very same day as her brother Donald Charles Fechner, she moved to Port Charlotte, FL, where she met and married Robert "Bob" James Reetz. After one too many hurricanes, the couple returned to Indiana, living first in Butler and then Auburn. When Bob died in 2014, Joan returned to Garrett, where she once again became active in St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Joan often recalled competing in the DeKalb County (IN) Fair, winning Culinary Show Champion and Best of Show ribbons along with awards for assorted cooking, canning, and flower exhibits.

From 1958 to 1973, Joan worked for T. Grant Company, where she rose to the position of head bookkeeper.

An avid antiques collector, Joan gained experience at Countryside Antiques in the 1960's. She opened her own Garrett antique shop in 1974. She then joined Courier Kendallville, formerly known as Uniform Printing and Supply. During 18 years, Joan broke the proverbial glass ceiling for other women by becoming one of Northeast Indiana's first female plant managers.

In retirement, Joan served as a volunteer docent for the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum (ACD). She studied books, vehicle manuals, and even rolled under a car on a mechanic's creeper to better understand how its then-futuristic features worked. Known for giving guests the finest tours, companies often asked for Joan when scheduling visits to the museum. In 2009, Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman presented Joan with the Hoosier Hospitality Award for her work at ACD. Joan coordinated volunteers for the museum's major fundraisers while serving as secretary of the ACD's volunteer organization.

Joan also volunteered with Auburn-Garrett Harvest House, eventually  becoming the charitable organization's president. She gave of her  time at  St. Joseph Catholic Church's St. Martin's Clothes Closet, an outreach ministry of Garrett's First Church of Christ. In addition, Joan made and personally delivered zucchini bread and jelly to homebound friends, family, and acquaintances.

Joan is survived by grandsons Patrick Bloom (Yorktown, IN), Kris Bloom (Columbia City, IN), Matthew Walter (Lewisville, NC),  Michael Walter (Scottsdale, AZ), and Toby Walter (Kendallville, IN); seven great- grandchildren Carter, Chase, Cortlyn, Grace, and Griffin Bloom as well as Noah and Sofia Walter. Additionally, Joan is survived by niece Rosemary Fechner Travis and nephew Marco Spallone (both of Fort Wayne, IN) and sister-in-law Roeine "Ro" Treesh Danclovik (Albuquerque, NM).

She was preceded in death by her beloved husbands Don Eugene Treesh and Robert "Bob" James Reetz; sons, Michael David Treesh and Patrick Anthony Treesh; daughters, Rebecca Treesh Bloom and Roxanne Treesh Walter; brother, Donald Charles Fechner and sisters Rosemary Fechner Hoop, Margaret Fechner Litzenberg, and Peggy Fechner Spallone.

Memorial services will be held at Thomas Funeral Home, 1277 County Road 56, Garrett, IN 46738 on Tuesday, February 20, 2024: 10 a.m.-11 a.m. visitation, 11 a.m. service with burial to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Heart to Heart Hospice, 5646 Coventry Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46804.