Joan Pankonin

Joan Swan Pankonin, 97, of Rochester, passed away peacefully at her home on November 4, 2025. Born Joan Beverly Swan on March 28, 1928, to William and Rose (Aulwes) Swan, Joan was raised in Rochester, graduated from Rochester High School and went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota. Although she spent her professional and married life in Minneapolis and Bloomington, she retained a close connection to her hometown all her life, and returned to live there for the past 35 years, following the death of her beloved husband.

A proud alumna of the U of M, Joan met her husband Richard Pankonin in her sophomore year, and they were married in 1949, shortly after her graduation and his WW II service in the United States Navy. She and Dick were among the first to be homeowners in their area of the suburb of Bloomington, and took great pleasure from their beautiful home and close friendships with neighbors. Theirs was a long and very happy marriage of two people who shared many interests and loved each other's company, ending only with Dick's death from cancer in 1988.

Joan started out to be a social worker, but wound up finding fulfillment in her decades as a supervisor and department manager at Prudential Insurance Company. She maintained lifelong contact with many of her colleagues there. Joan was a loyal friend and had close relationships with several friends from childhood, high school and college. Although not an activist, and despite otherwise conservative leanings, Joan was a fierce defender of a woman's right to choose, and she remained very aware and involved with the news of the day right up to her death. She loved a good bridge game and played in more than one club, including duplicate. She was something of a "foodie," and enjoyed sharing recipes, but her greatest passion was reserved for sports, and she loved to surprise the men she encountered with her detailed knowledge of Minnesota teams. Joan held season tickets for the Vikings and Gophers well into her 90s. She was one of the first supporters of the Vikings and the Minnesota Twins, and she enthusiastically rooted for all Gophers teams: football, basketball - even volleyball - through thick and thin!

Joan is survived by her nieces Kathleen Swan (Declan), Cynthia Swan (Robert), Barbara Swan (Paul) and nephew Thomas Swan (Katharine); great nieces Becky, Pam, Michelle, Sherri, Jennifer, Jenna, Marisa, Laura, Kyra, and Svetlana; great nephews Alex, James, and Rafael; great-great nieces and nephews; and special friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Margaret and Ethel, brothers Raymond and Arthur, brothers-in-law George and Ross, sister-in-law Jacqueline, nephew Robert and wife DeeDee, and nephew Gerald and wife Anita.

Joan was a lifelong member of Calvary Episcopal Church, where she was baptized, confirmed and married, and from which she will be buried. The funeral will be held Monday, November 17th, at 1:00 pm (111 3rd Ave. SW) with visitation 30 minutes prior to the service. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Calvary Episcopal Church.

Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Pankonin family.