M. Joanne Fasnacht, 88

November 8, 1933 - February 03, 2022

M. Joanne Fasnacht, 88, of Lancaster, passed away on Thursday, February 3, 2022, at Lancaster Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. Born in Cornwall, PA, she was a daughter of the late Lester W. and Josephine (Paxton) Kreiser. She was raised by her uncle and aunt, Clayton and Bertha Shirk, and fondly recalled many happy memories with them. Joanne was the loving wife of the late Robert E. Fasnacht (Bob), and they celebrated 60 years of marriage at the time of his passing in June 2015.

Joanne was a 1951 graduate of Cornwall High School. She also attended Millersville State Teacher’s College and Lebanon Business College from 1951-1953. For 16 years she worked as a court transcriptionist, and for the next 20 years continued as a legal administrative assistant with the law offices of Notturno & Goss. Over her career, she developed many close friendships with her co-workers. The group fondly known as, “The ladies”, continued going out to lunch or dinner together for over 50 years. Joanne also enjoyed volunteering her time at the former St. Joseph Hospital Medical Records Department and at the Nathan C. Schaeffer Elementary School. She enjoyed traveling to the New England states and Canada but had a particular fondness for Vermont. She and Bob also enjoyed taking the kids to the beach in Cape May, NJ. She loved ice skating – whether it was skating on the Lake at Mt. Gretna or after a Hershey Bears ice hockey game (where she met Bob). While watching skating competitions on television, she was never shy about voicing her displeasure with certain scoring decisions. As an avid Philadelphia Phillies fan, she rarely missed watching a game on television. She also enjoyed watching Jeopardy and various PBS shows. It was a rare day which she didn’t spend a fair amount of time reading. Having a soft heart for animals, she cherished the many diverse pets the family had over the years. However, her greatest joy was her family, and she especially enjoyed preparing and serving holiday meals for them.

Joanne is survived by her five children: Barbara A. Erway of Shelbyville, KY, William A. Fasnacht of Akron, PA, Patricia A. Fasnacht, Timothy A. Fasnacht, and Margaret A. Fasnacht, all of Lancaster. Also surviving are 4 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; and a brother Harold Kreiser of Cornwall. Along with her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a brother Donald J. Kreiser and a sister, Faye Kreiser.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at the Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home & Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA, 17543, where the family will begin greeting guests at 1:00 PM. All guests attending are required to wear masks. Joanne will be interred with her husband at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, which will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Joanne’s memory may be made to Pet Pantry of Lancaster County, 26 Millersville Road, Lancaster, PA 17603, or to Lancaster Meals on Wheels, 1411 Columbia Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603.