REMEMBERING KATHRYN JOANN VAN HORN WIELAND

Plymouth, WI, February 16, 2024 – The Van Horn Automotive Group, extended family and local community lost a great leader and influencer this week. Joann (Jo) Wieland passed peacefully late Tuesday, February 13 at Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice in Sheboygan Falls.

Joann was the daughter of the late Joe and Kay Van Horn, and the eldest of the 6 Van Horn siblings. Joann was a vibrant leader and bellwether in the community, with a passion for the outdoors, travel and family gatherings. Through her career, she held positions in both the Van Horn organization and community non-profit organizations, and had a dedication to elevating women in leadership.

She graduated high school from St. Mary’s Springs in 1971, and would further her formal education at St. Mary’s of the Woods with a degree in Humanities with an emphasis in Literature and Philosophy and a minor in Organizational Leadership and Quality. If that wasn’t enough, she went on to receive a Masters of Organizational Leadership from Marian University in Fond du Lac.

Like many of the Van Horn siblings, she went to work for her father (Joe) at the Chevy dealership in Plymouth. She married her husband Dan in 1979, and in the years to follow, fulfilled her greatest role as mother; giving birth to Derek and Brian. In 1989, Joann and Dan became co-owners of the Oldsmobile dealership in Sheboygan with Joe Van Horn; now the site of Van Horn Motors of Sheboygan. The Hyundai franchise was added to the store a few years later, which paved the way for Hyundai of Fond du Lac. Joann’s last role with Van Horn was Manager of the Human Resources department, when the auto group was formed in 2014.

Her passion for serving the community extended beyond the car business. While working for United Way, she got involved at the ground level of what would become Generations Intergenerational Center in Plymouth. Generations sponsors fitness, educational, recreational and social programs to meet the interest and needs of all ages. She was also the co-founder and owner of Here We Grow day care center in Plymouth, which eventually added a location in Sheboygan. Always humble and grateful, she remarked that she didn’t make a lot of money but was enriched by the work she did, and took great pride in helping people become the best versions of themselves. Over time, Joann won several awards, including Business Woman of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement Award from St. Mary’s of the Woods.

Joann was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010; a rare form of blood cancer that develops in plasma cells in the bone marrow. She bravely lived with this condition for several years, and far outlasted the normal life expectancy of this form of cancer.