Joan H. Burns, 81, of Oak Leaf Manor North, Landisville, and formerly of Lancaster, died Sunday, May 6, 2012, at Hospice of Lancaster County in Mount Joy. Born in Lancaster, she was the daughter of the late Lloyd E. and Marguerite Ziegler Herr. Her husband of 48 years, Francis V. "Frank" Burns died in 2008.

A 1952 graduate of Millersville State Teachers College, Joan taught for the School District of Lancaster for 9 years and then at St. Anne's Catholic School for 24 years, retiring in 1994. She also tutored adults for the Lancaster-Lebanon Literacy Council.

Joan was a member of Mary Mother of the Church, Mount Joy, and had served on the funeral committee at St. Anne's Catholic Church, Lancaster. She was lovingly referred to as Mother Superior.

Surviving are three sons, Matthew F., husband of Diane Burns, Lancaster, Peter T. Burns, Salt Lake City, UT, and Daniel R., husband of Kathy Burns, Lancaster; five grandchildren, Shauna Palmer, Marcus Burns, Alexis Burns, Victoria Burns and Courtney Rubincan; two great-grandsons, Christian Williams and Jamaree Rubincan; and two sisters, Billie Jo Herr, Cary, NC , and Marguerite, wife of Andrew Kirchhoff, Apple Valley, MN. Joan was preceded in death by her daughter Anne Marie Burns and her brother James Z. Herr.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place 11 AM Saturday, May 12, 2012, at Mary Mother of the Church, with The Rev. Luis Rodriquez as Celebrant. The family will receive friends on Saturday from 10 to 11 AM at the church. Interment in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Please omit flowers. Memorial Contributions may be made to Mary Mother of the Church, 625 Union School Road, Mount Joy, PA 17552.To send the family online condolences, please visit SnyderFuneralHome.com. Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. 717-560-5100