Joan Ruth Hercamp

Mrs. Joan Ruth (Noblitt) Hercamp, 79, of Columbus, Indiana, passed away Monday, August 17, 2015, at Covered Bridge Health Campus in Seymour.

She was born April 5, 1936, in Jackson County, Indiana, the daughter of the late Jacob Fredrick and Anita (Enzinger) Noblitt. On June 6, 1957, she married Richard Dean “Dick” Hercamp, with whom she shared her birthday, at St. John’s Lutheran Church White Creek, and he survives.

Joan was active with the church and school at St. John’s Lutheran Church White Creek especially while her children and grandsons attended there. She was always volunteering to help with school functions – plays, sports, dinners, teaching Sunday School, and VBS. She loved to sing and was a part of the church choir. Joan was known throughout her life for her artistic talents, generosity and helpfulness. In past years, she was famous for baking cookies and cakes for every holiday and decorating them beautifully. She would share them at her children’s school as well as with family and friends. Her talents also included drawing, writing poetry, and decorating beautiful gift packages. They were so pretty that you didn’t want to open them! She loved animals. From childhood through her adult life, she always had pets of some kind – dogs, cats, squirrels, raccoons, many of which she had found injured, sick or abandoned and nursed back to health. She was well known and loved for her generosity to others. Helping those in need was her calling. Her special gift was sending cards and notes to those who were ill, suffering a loss, or just needed uplifting words.

She is survived by her husband, her son, Gregory Lynn (Cari) Hercamp; her daughter, Tamara Jo “Tammy” Hercamp; 3 grandchildren, Justin (Tirzah) McCrory, Jacob (Emily) Hercamp, and Keith (Jessica) Hercamp; two great-grandchildren, Michaela McCrory and Jacob Ryan Hercamp II (born August 16, 2015); her brother, Richard (Bettie) Noblitt, her brother and sister-in-law, Delbert and Marlis Kilgas, and several nieces and nephews.

Joan is preceded in death by her parents and a daughter, Kimberly Kay Hercamp.

A memorial service will be conducted by Voss Funeral Service at St. John’s Lutheran Church White Creek, 16270 South County Road 300 West, Columbus, Indiana, Tuesday, August 25, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. with Pastor Joshua Cook officiating.

Friends and family may call at St. John’s Lutheran Church White Creek on Tuesday after 4:00 pm until time of service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be written to the General Fund of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Our Hospice of Southern Indiana, or the D.E.B.R.A. Foundation (to support research for the disease her first daughter had).

The family would like to express a special thank you to the staffs of Our Hospice of Southern Indiana and the Covered Bridge Health Campus for the wonderful care they provided Joan during her illness. Your care of love will always be a highlight in our lives when we remember her in our thoughts.