JoAnn M. Burt

JoAnn M. Burt of Devils Lake formerly of Starkweather ND passed away on Friday, August 2, 2024 due to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. She was 70 years of age. 

JoAnn Marie (Berg) Burt was born on December 30, 1953, in Devils Lake, ND to Monrad and Elizabeth “Bette” (Ladwig) Berg. She grew up on her family farm near Starkweather, ND, graduated from Starkweather High School with the class of 1971 and attended North Dakota State University for a year. Over the summer of 1972, JoAnn let a “smitten suitor”, Kim Burt, catch her and, on December 16, 1972, they were married.

 JoAnn and Kim lived in Illinois and Indiana for the first few years of their marriage, returning to North Dakota in 1980 with their children and settling in Starkweather. During the initial years following their move “home”, JoAnn worked for the Devils Lake Public School system and Lake Region Special Education and found time to participate in community theatre and musical productions in Devils Lake. In 1994, she began her career with the Lake Region Human Service Center and Vocational Rehabilitation, forming many special friendships within her work family throughout her years of employment. JoAnn so excelled at her work that a new position was eventually created specifically for her, and she was regarded by many of her fellow Vocational Rehab workers across the state as the “state expert” on certain procedures. In May 2022, she retired from Vocational Rehab, and she and Kim moved to Devils Lake. Following her retirement, she returned to a part-time position with Vocational Rehab for a short period of time and most recently was working part-time at Ramsey Drug.

As a lifelong member of Trinity Bergen Lutheran Church, JoAnn often volunteered her time and Word skills to complete weekly bulletins or special projects. She loved to sing, frequently bursting into an appropriate song in response to something she had just heard. Her strong alto voice was a beautiful addition to her church choir, women’s trios and Sunday hymns. After she and Kim moved to Devils Lake, she joined the Silver Sensations group, singing regularly at local nursing homes. 

JoAnn was a child of God, giving Him thanks for the many blessings in her life and relying on Him to see her through difficult times. Her heart was as big as the sky, and she loved her family and friends ferociously with all of it. Her smile was joy and light, and her hugs were what you needed them to be—I love you, I missed you, I’m here for you, welcome to our family. . . She was a devoted and supportive daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, “other mother” to her nieces and nephews and her “adopted” children, and a true friend; the rock and foundation of her family; a true caretaker, kind, caring and generous with her time and in her actions; a strong and capable woman and wonderful role model for her family and friends. She was witty, adventurous, joyful and full of infectious fun; fully in touch with her “inner child” imagination and favorite children’s songs during playtime with her grandchildren, nieces and nephews; and was the undisputed family “Soup Queen” (“I just made five gallons of turkey vegetable soup! Do you want some??”). 

She began her eternal life at the age of 70, on August 2, 2024, following a motor vehicle accident. In her heavenly home, she has been reunited with her parents, Monrad and Bette Berg, niece Sheri (Berg) Leidholdt, and many aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family members.

JoAnn is survived by her lifelong love and husband Kim Burt; her children Cameron (Jacqui) Burt and Tami Burt and her children, Dane and Max Franzen; her brothers and sisters and their families: Curtis (Kathy) Berg and Chris (Robyn) Berg, and family, Taylor and Isabelle; Cathy (Lyle) Johnson and her children Matthew (Jessica) Herrick and family, [Sophie, Sam and Aidan], Shane (KayCee) Herrick and Grace, Monica (David) Anderson and family [Hayley and Hayden Anderson and Elizabeth and Cooper Parks]; Russell Berg; and Nettie (Karl) Krogfoss, her sister-of-the-heart, aunt Lois Anderson and many beloved cousins. 

JoAnn’s greatest wish in her life was to make a difference in others’ lives, to have mattered in her life through helping others. She was extraordinarily successful. Though she is physically gone, her heart lives on in all those whose lives she touched, and we have all been truly blessed to experience her legacy of love. Freddie, Mom, Sis, Grandma, JoAnn, Auntie Nini JoAnn, JodiAnnie, Joan, Joni, Joda, Burtus - we will miss you. See you on the other side! 

There will be visitation at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Sunday, August 11, 2024 from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. with a time of prayer and remembrance at 3:00 p.m. The Funeral Service for JoAnn will be on Monday, August 12, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity-Bergen Lutheran Church, Starkweather, ND with Reverend Robert Buechler officiating.