A celebration of life for Joan Goodlaxson will be held on Saturday, August 16, 2025 from 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at Martin-Mattice Funeral home in Emmetsburg, Iowa.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be given to Hospice of Palo Alto County.
Joan Aileen (Needham) Goodlaxson, daughter of Gerald and Mary Ann (Laughlin) Needham, was born July 5, 1957 in Emmetsburg, Iowa. She received her education in Emmetsburg, graduating from Emmetsburg High School in 1975. Joan continued her education, receiving her LPN license and then went on to earn her degree as a Registered Nurse.
On July 31, 1982 Joan was united in marriage to James Allen Goodlaxson in Emmetsburg, Iowa. They were blessed with two children.
Joan worked for Palo Alto County Hospital 100 wing and the OB and Emergency room as needed in her early nursing years. She worked at the Ruthven Care Center for several months then, in Emmetsburg, PARC Hall long term care until her retirement. She was passionate about the care she gave as a nurse, a career spanning over 45 years. Joan not only took care of her patients, but was always caring for family, friends, and neighbors.
She loved preparing large family meals on Holidays, an interest she acquired as a young girl helping her mother and grandmother. This love for the kitchen turned into her dream after retirement. Joan opened Joan's Sweets & Eats in 2017. She catered all the way from large weddings, down to small family get togethers preparing all types of food. Her specialties were wedding cakes and handcrafted cupcakes. She loved being in her commercial kitchen with her granddaughters baking and frosting cookies. Joan feared not the bi-annual yearly state kitchen inspections, after going through many in her nursing career.
Joan loved tending to her flowers, camping with family, watching her Iowa Hawkeyes, Kansas City Chiefs, and NASCAR with friends, and hosting the Sewing Club. St. Patrick's celebrations were one of her favorite celebrations. Joan was a top notch, travel light with less, support crew and driver for Jim on many RAGBRAI's. Joan and Jim also rode their tandem together for several years. If a wife and her husband can pedal across Iowa on a tandem together, well, that says something. Her biggest love was her granddaughters. She taught them many things, especially the love for baking, to always have fun and most importantly, to always be kind.
Joan passed away Thursday, August 7, 2025 at her home in Emmetsburg, Iowa, at the age of 68. She was preceded in death by her parents, Gerald and Mary Ann Needham and an infant sister.
She is survived by her husband, James “Jim” Goodlaxson of Emmetsburg, IA; children, Katy Guinn and her husband, Nathan of Spencer, IA and Allen Goodlaxson and his wife, Christina of St. Anthony, IA; two grandchildren, Tenley Kate Guinn and Brooklyn Nicole Goodlaxson; sisters, Nancy (Randy) Janssen of Emmetsburg, Iowa, and Kitty (Roger) Sackett of Inver Grove Heights, MN; brothers, Chuck (Ann) Needham of Chandler, AZ, Dan (Sue) Needham of Omaha, NE, Jim (Pam) Needham of Rochester, MN, Dave (Kathy) Needham of Sioux Falls, SD, Bob (Susie) Needham of Omaha, NE, and Scott (Jennifer) Needham of Alexandria, MN; several nieces and nephews; a special uncle, Wayne Diercks; as well as many other relatives and friends.
Arrangements by Martin-Mattice Funeral Home
