Joan Marie (Ball/Nelson) Meginniss, 88, of Estero, Florida, and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, passed on Friday, May 15, 2026, at Joanne’s House at Hope Hospice in Bonita Springs, Florida. Joan’s Celebration of Life will be held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Formerly of Grayslake, Illinois, and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Joan had been a resident of Estero for the past 23 years. She was born November 9, 1937, in Morris, Minnesota, the daughter of the late Clyde Ball and Marian (Sonnichsen) Ball Nelson. Though her birth father, Clyde Ball, passed away during her infancy, Joan had a wonderful, loving upbringing. When Joan was just two years old, her mother, Marian, married Glen Nelson of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Glen loved Joan as his very own. Joan graduated as the salutatorian of Lake Geneva High School. She was also a graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.
Joan married Richard Frederick Meginniss, with whom she shared a full life for 56 years. The couple had two daughters, Kathleen Elizabeth and Christine Marie.
Joan began her career teaching English at Deer Path School in Lake Forest, Illinois. After earning her Master of Science degree in Education from Northern Illinois University, she worked as a professor and administrator of Adult Education at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois. Continually dedicated to her community, Joan was very active on various committees at the Villages of Country Creek and was honored with the 2018 Villages of Country Creek Community Service Award.
Survivors include her loving daughters, Kathleen (Scott) White of Belmont, Massachusetts, and Christine Buchta of La Crosse, Wisconsin; her sister, Sandra (Bob) Skibitzki; her brother, Ron (Georgia) Nelson; and her cherished grandchildren, Jessica White (Benjamin Aberle), Jack Buchta, and Natalie Buchta.
Joan was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Richard F. Meginniss, and her sister Judith Nelson.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Richard F. and Joan M. Meginniss Scholarship Fund, managed by the College of Lake County Foundation.
- Online: Contributions may be made via the link at https://www.clcillinois.edu/aboutclc/clc-foundation. Under the designation drop-down menu, select “Other” and enter “Meginniss Scholarship.”
- By Mail: Please make checks payable to the CLC Foundation, include “Richard F. and Joan M. Meginniss Scholarship” in the memo line, and mail to: 19351 W. Washington Street, Grayslake, IL 60030-1198.
