Joan Rizer

Rizer, Joan, 80, died on July 15, 2016 at Springfield Regional Medical Center. She was born on January 9, 1936, the daughter of the late Edward and Regina (Hilbert) Nash. Her husband of 55 years, Robert R. Rizer, predeceased her in 2012. She is survived by five children, Ed (Ann) Rizer and Anne (Phil) Drayton of Dayton, Ohio, Mike (Jo) Rizer of Charlotte, Susie (Mike) Whitacre of Little Rock and Jane (Jeff) Weller of Indianapolis; 15 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Margie Stelzer of Columbus and Barbara Summers of Kansas City. A third sister, Susan Hess, died in 1997. Joan was a graduate of Catholic Central High School and, while raising five children, returned to college to earn a BA at Wittenberg University, and her MA in English from the Ohio State University. She was a member of St. Teresa Catholic Church, the Springfield Country Club, and several social organizations including Mensa. She had a special interest in mental health issues and chaired the Clark County Mental Health Board. After most of her children were raised, she worked in higher education, teaching at Clark State and Ohio State and working in development at the University of Dayton. Joan was blessed with wonderful, caring friends and a large, close family with whom she loved sharing the holidays, sometimes cooking a Charles Dickens Christmas feast. She cherished literature, the opera and traveling. She especially enjoyed taking in opera performances in Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus with her "Trim a Branch" friends. She had a passion for cooking and her kitchen was always filled with cookbooks and delicious food against a backdrop of booming classical music. In recent years, she was proud to have sung in the Springfield Symphony Chorale. She would typically spend an entire week reading every story in the Sunday New York Times, and loved to discuss politics. She would admit to an irrational love of all things Dalmatian, but found great joy and companionship in their dogs Max, Willy and India. Her children will always be grateful for the excellent friendships and caregivers she experienced. A visitation will take place at the CONROY FUNERAL HOME on Monday, August 1st from 6pm-8pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, August 2nd in St. Teresa Church at 10:00am. Her family will receive friends for a celebratory lunch at the Springfield Country Club immediately thereafter. Memorial donations may be made to the Springfield Arts Council, The Clark County Mental Health Foundation or The Humane Society Serving Clark County.