Joan Lovrien died on May 19, 2014 in Rochester, MN.   She was 82 years old.   She was formerly of St. Paul and of Woodbury, MN.

Joan was the widow of  Rex Lovrien, a long-time professor at the University of Minnesota.

She is survived by Lucy Lovrien and son-in-law Nicholas Poser of Watertown, MA;   John Lovrien and daughter-in-law Nga Tang; and Anna Lovrien of Rochester, MN.

She was born in Minneapolis to Charles and Matilda Johnson Merkert.  Joan attended Washburn High School, Stephens College, and received her B.A. from the University of Minnesota.   She then went on to graduate school, attending the University of Iowa’s well known studio art program.

Joan and Rex’s oldest child, Lucy, was born while Rex was obtaining his PhD.  They lived in several university towns, and had their second child, John, before settling in St. Paul.  Joan was a long-time resident of St. Paul (St. Anthony Park) and later lived in Woodbury, MN before moving to Rochester, MN, to be near her daughter Anna.

Joan was a writer and an artist, and had a roving intellect.  She continued studying all her life.  She obtained an M. Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.  She also studied business, and was skilled in mathematics, statistics and computers.  She was always willing to try new technologies and new computer devices.  Her interests and her reading were wide-ranging.  She often read one or two books a day, on subjects as diverse as religion, philosophy, history and poetry.

She was a long-time member of Unity Church Unitarian, the historic Unitarian church in St. Paul Minnesota.  More recently, she belonged to the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Rochester. 

Joan had recently resided at the Madonna Towers of Rochester.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library.

Burial will be private, at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.  Your personal tributes on this page are welcome.