Joan Byrdice Flores

Joan B. Flores, age 88, of Rochester, MN passed away April 11, 2026 at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, MN.

Joan B. Flores (Rutz) was born March 24,1938 in Rochester, MN to Carl and Louise Rutz (Warner). Joan was raised on her parent's farm in Haverhill Township near Hadley Valley Creek. Growing up on the farm Joan reportedly followed her father Carl's lead and developed her love for animals, a tireless work ethic, and passionate care for life.

Joan attended the Hadley Valley School House now located at the History Center of Olmsted County. She attended and graduated from Rochester High School in 1955 all hip and sassy with short hair common of the era. She continued her educational path at St. Lucas Deaconess Hospital in Faribault MN, and became a Registered Nurse. Her nursing career, and spirit took her off the farm and onto tribal reservations in North/South Dakota, and Northern California, and to volunteering with the Peace Corp. Through her travels and services she experienced birthing children, speaking Spanish, climbing mountains, earthquakes, active volcanoes, oppressive governmental violence, and built stories and lessons that will transcend her lifetime. Also, while volunteer nursing in Nicaragua, she met a fellow Peace Corp volunteer from Texas.

In June, 1968 on her childhood farm framed by her beloved lilac bushes Joan married Richard Flores. Joan and Richard returned to Haverhill Township with their first son from Managua, Nicaragua in 1971, and expanded the farm operations in 1978 by purchasing the neighboring Kenneth McGovern farm. Early operations focused on raising beef cattle from horseback and small crop farming. The farm, Joan, and Richard raised their own three children and helped raise nieces, nephews, grandchildren, friends of, and strangers. Joan shared her skills and knowledge of animal husbandry and farming along with the love for, ethics of, and the value of modest family farm practices and living with anyone within earshot willing to learn.

Her passion for caring stretched beyond the farm as her nursing career continued upon returning to the Rochester area. Joan provided nursing care for patients at the Rochester State Hospital until its closing in 1982, Bethany Samaritan Heights Nursing Home, and her last years of nursing at Stewartville Care Center.

Family invites each individual to remember Joan as your relationship dictates. She cultivated many roles over 88 years of interesting life. Joan's family will remember her mostly for the way she enjoyed directing daily operations at the farm. Joan was a farmer through and through and as such she did what was expedient. Joan checked the weather often because so much revolves around weather in farming. Joan organized the sorting of cows, goats, sheep for vaccination, shearing, etc., or at least directed Lance and Elythia to get to it in her gentle, "you know what we should do". Joan's wisdom of deciphering ailments of animals and deciding how best to treat them came from a lifetime of "how to" and "can do".

Joan loved everything about her farm, the place that she was born on, grew up on. Her fortitude and family commitments assured she could ultimately spend her final days there. The farm's "everything" poetically echoes Joan's presence that comes to life through nature's innate beauty.

Spring shares so many mesmerizing invitations to choose from but here are a few of Joan's....

The lilacs planted by her father Carl will soon bloom sending their aroma down the driveway. New born calves in all their exuberance running and playing in the quickly turning bright green valley. Chattering chickens roosting nightly in the boxelder trees behind the house announcing the awakening of every new morning around 4:00am. The farm's symphony of crowing and mooing, feathers and fur, of each animal living their best life.

With certainty there is no place that echoes Joan's joy for life more than the farm, her children and grandchildren may be the only exception, as an expressed tangible legacy of our beloved Joan's amazing life.

Joan is survived by ... 3 children Karl/Lance (Nancy) Flores, Bucky (Angie) Flores, Kimberly (Forest) McCrea, 5 grandchildren Elythia, Shaela (Chris), and Blaze, Taylor, and

Willow Flores. She was preceded in death by her husband Richard Flores, sister Doris E. Rutz, and both her parents.

The family would like to thank the nursing and care staff of Olmsted Medical Center, Mayo Clinic Nasseff 6th floor and Nasseff ICU 7th floor.

Celebration of Life Services will be held at Peace United Church of Christ 1503 2nd Ave NE Rochester, MN 55906 on Wednesday May 6, 2026 from 4:00-8:00 pm.

Memorials in Joan's name can be sent to the Sierra Club-

https://giving.sierraclub.org/page/95911/donate/1?supporter.appealCode=N16MOTF006&_gl=1*1opdzml*_gcl_au*MzEwNTQ4NDQ5LjE3NzYyNzg0ODg.