Joan E. Mallatt

Joan E. Mallatt, 90, passed away after a short illness on February 9, 2020, in Lincoln, Nebraska, with her son, Jeff, daughter, Ann, and brother, Jon Ericson, nearby. Burial will be at the Laurel Cemetery on Saturday, July 10, 2021.  A brief graveside service will take place at 9:00 a.m. followed by mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Laurel at 10:00 a.m. with coffee and lunch immediately following in the church hall.  Masks are optional but the immediate family will be masked throughout. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home in Laurel, NE. “Jo” was born to the late Clarence and Famy (Bruggeman) Ericson on August 22, 1929 in Laurel, Nebraska.  She graduated from Laurel High School in 1948 and attended Wayne State College.  She then worked as a telephone operator in Laurel and taught elementary school in Plainview. Joan married Patrick E. Mallatt in Laurel on August 7, 1954.  The couple settled in Lincoln and Joan worked in the Lincoln Public Schools, first at Lincoln Southeast High School as a foreign language and math lab clerk, and then at Lincoln East High School in the media center.  She was an avid reader, delighting in articles from the New Yorker to cozy Irish murder mysteries to the sports section of the local paper.  She was also a regular viewer of Jeopardy! and could finish a crossword puzzle in minutes. She is survived by her two children, Jeff Mallatt, of Arlington, Massachusetts, and Ann (Mark) Killenbeck of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and by one granddaughter, Jessica Killenbeck.  She remained especially close over the years to her brother Jon Ericson, of Coronado, California, who survives her, along with his wife Mary and their two children, Christine (Rob) Trodella, and Michael Ericson. Additional survivors include cousins Darlene Cuba of Concord and Harlan Shively of Arvada, Colorado, brothers-in-law, L. J. "Ole" Mallatt of Laurel and William Mallatt of South Sioux City, sisters-in-law, Shirley Kraemer of Laurel and Saundra Bottger of Grand Island, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Pat, her parents Clarence and Famy (Bruggeman) Ericson, many beloved cousins, in-laws, and a great-nephew.