Joanne Grenell

Joanne Leslie (Fell) Grenell passed comfortably into the arms of her savior, Jesus Christ, on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

Joanne was born on December 2, 1952, the second of four children to Lawrence Edward Fell and Doris Irene (Gregg) Fell. The family moved from Clear Lake to Coralville, Iowa in 1964, where they eventually bought acreage and established what they called the Fell’s Folly Farm. Amish crews framed their house and the family finished it, complete with quarried lime stone facing and matching fireplaces on the upper and lower levels. Raising their own food and sewing their own clothes were activities Joanne carried throughout her life. At age ten, she was sewing doll clothes to sell to her classmates. She grew up as daddy’s helper and died five years after him on the same date.

In 1971, Joanne was part of the third graduating class from the new West High School of Iowa City, highlighted by four years in the Latin Club and All-State in choir. She entered the University of Iowa and completed three years of pre-med before transferring to Morton College in Chicago and graduating in two years as a physical therapy assistant.

Returning home, she married her “secret” high school sweetheart on May 21, 1977. They soon moved to Joplin, Missouri, where Gary attended and graduated from Ozark Bible College. During those college years and beyond, Joanne worked in a publishing house and the regional hospital while Gary served area churches. Joanne routinely sang solos and led the song services. She gave birth to daughters in 1980 and 1982.

In 1984, they moved to Oklahoma to serve as residential childcare “house parents” to at-risk youth. During the next six years, they cared for thirty-five foster children. Joanne gave birth to sons in 1986 and 1988.

Returning to Iowa in 1990, they renovated a house in Coralville, adding a second story to the structure. Joanne home schooled the children for ten years. In 2009, after the children had moved out, Gary called home that he had lost his job. Joanne’s response was, “Great! We can go to the mission field!” And they did, spending five years in the remote southwest corner of Tanzania, loving and sharing the gospel with hundreds at a secondary school. Joanne taught English to incoming “freshmen,” sewed over a thousand school uniforms on a treadle sewing machine, and was first-responder to any health concern among the students and staff.

Returning to Iowa in 2014 and settled in Des Moines, Joanne opened an online Etsy shop, Sew Gladly, and sold doll clothes literally all over the world. All proceeds of sales went to missions.

Joanne’s focus in life has always been her faithful relationship with Jesus. She loved to sing, memorize scripture, and spend hours in her prayer closet. Praise to the Lord was on her dying lips. The final weeks of her life were filled with her muttering Bible verses to the Lord, and to visitors two phrases, “I’m only mostly dead!” and “I want to go home.” She’s home now, and her prayers were for others to join her in finding freedom in Christ and attaining the resurrection.

Remaining behind are her husband, Gary; their children: Naomi (and Trevor) Keller (children: Titus, Silas, Chloe, Lucie), Natalie (and Jerry) Gehling (children: Dade, Harlie, River), Gabriel (and Stacy) Grenell (children: Declan, Dillon, William), Gideon (and Rachel) Grenell (children: Josiah, Elijah, Ezekiel, Michael); her sister, Laurie (and James) Russell; and her brothers, Brian (and Deb) Fell, and Peter (and Christine) Fell. All adults are confessed believers.

Memorial gifts for Joanne may be sent to Real Life Church, 2302 SW 3rd St. Ankeny, IA 50023. Donations will be used for Bible distribution on the mission fields that Joanne’s Etsy shop supported.