JoHannah Reardon

JoHannah Reardon, 67, wife of Brad Reardon, went home to be with the Lord on February 4, 2021. She was surrounded by Brad and her three children, Jason, Anna, and Lindsey. Born July 20, 1953 in Paxton, Illinois, she was the daughter of William and Anna Mae Thompson. JoHannah grew up in the Paxton/Loda area near many members of her family. She graduated college with a Home Economics degree from Illinois State University. During college, she met her husband Brad, and they went on staff together for Cru (formally Campus Crusade for Christ) where they served in Illinois, Indiana, and North Carolina. After Brad graduated from seminary, they moved to Sycamore, IL where they helped start the Evangelical Free Church of Sycamore and DeKalb (now Crossview). JoHannah loved the church and enjoyed serving through singing, child care, and leading Bible studies. During their time in Sycamore, JoHannah worked in the office and as daycare director at Cornerstone Christian Academy. She also did freelance writing and editorial jobs. JoHannah is a published author of 14 books, including No More Fear. She created and edited hundreds of Bible studies while working at Christianity Today. She was a member and editor for Redbud Writer’s Guild. JoHannah enjoyed traveling internationally, visiting Costa Rica, China, England, and the Philippines with her family. In 2016, Brad and JoHannah moved to Dixon, IL at Lost Lake. Here they enjoyed serving at Christ Church in Sterling, IL. During her last year, she wrote Bible studies and worked on a book project for Abide, which deeply blessed her. Moving to Lost Lake fulfilled a life-long dream for JoHannah, who always wanted to live on a lake like she did when she was a child. She found great joy and solace seeing the birds, deer, and other wildlife. She delighted in the hundreds of daffodils that pop up each Spring in their backyard. She also loved being on the water, kayaking and boating, and playing with her grandchildren on the beach. JoHannah delighted in her family most of all. Whether they were cruising in the golf cart, singing silly songs, coloring, doing crafts, going to special events, or reading together—JoHannah loved every minute. She will be remembered for her bright smile and laugh, for being a great (and easy) wife, mom, Nanny and friend, and for her deep faith in Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Her final words true to her heart, “I have a great faith, I’m not afraid to die.” JoHannah is survived by her husband Brad; her children: Jason (spouse Reby; Jacob, Bethany, Bailey Jane) of Austin, TX; Anna (spouse Tobie; Lily, Mason, Sage) of Middleton, WI; and Lindsey (spouse Matt; Juniper, Wren) of Winfield, IL. She is also survived by her sisters Susan Lamb (Dan) of Bayles Lake, IL and Dinah Wissmiller (Roger) of Kankakee, IL, and nieces and nephews: Alana, Lynn, Tamra, Alan, and Ann Stacey. Cremation rights have been accorded. To honor JoHannah Reardon, there is a small service for immediate family only this Sunday, February 14 at 2PM. The service will be live-streamed and can be accessed at http://bit.do/EFCMM-YouTube Or https://www.facebook.com/efcmm We are also collecting entries for a small book in her memory. If you’d like to submit a story about her or a piece of writing, email it to lindsey.learn@gmail.com with the subject line JOHANNAH BOOK. *Also for the donation tab: Serenity Hospice & Home Services https://serenityhospiceandhome.z2systems.com/np/clients/serenityhospiceandhome/donation.jsp

JoHannah Reardon

July 20, 1953 - February 4, 2021