Joanne Marian, by Hannah Rishel
Submitted January, 2024
To write about Joanne Marian could mean writing a book. She’s Brad’s and my “Baha’i mother”—along with how many others? In Iowa, Illinois, Guyana, the World Center, South Dakota, Samoa, Hawaii, Arizona, maybe Mongolia, and I don’t know where all. Yet she doesn’t name my spiritual brothers and sisters, and has said she’d like such gravestone words as “She tried.”
I think that Joanne joined The Faith in about 1970 in Iowa City, birthed by Delores Martin, who I think was brought to The Faith by Karen Para. Please correct any of my errors, anyone. She and Bert had previously met and married in California, as Divinity school students.
They were neighbors to my family in rural Johnson County and very influential to my mid-to-late-teenage years. They adopted three infants while in Iowa (Shirrin, Rahim, and Jalalieh), had five teenaged foster girls about my age, and two college students. See “How Brad and I became Baha’is” for another chapter. Joanne was very integral and nurturing to individuals and Baha’i communities—in Iowa and wherever they lived. Bert graduated from UI as a Physician Assistant.
Bert, Joanne, and their three children pioneered to the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota. Bert was the medical provider (as P.A.) for the Reservation. Brad and I visited them there in 1976. They added Lyle and Gwen (both several years old) into their family but couldn’t adopt because Bert and Joanne weren’t Native American. Shirrin died at seven and her grave is there.
The family next pioneered to American Samoa, where Bert was the medical provider for three small islands. Brad and I were with them in 1984. The Samoan House of Worship was dedicated that fall, in Western Samoa. Around1992, Bert suffered a blood clot in one leg. The necessary surgery was too many hours away—in Hawaii. His lower leg was amputated. They lived on Oahu for a year or so, then pioneered again. Oh yes—they’d adopted infant Kyrie in Hawaii. They pioneered to where Brad and I were pioneering—on the Navajo Reservation (1988-95). Bert worked as PA in Ganado—where I worked as Pediatrician. Joanne lived and served in the Caretaker’s house at the Native American Baha’i Institute for a year or so, then moved to Ganado, where she helped form and served on the Ganado LSA. While in Arizona, she and the first Hopi Baha’i, Elizabeth Dahe, travel taught in Mongolia. Some years after Brad and I moved off-reservation, Bert, Joanne, and Kyrie moved to Maine. They lived in the house that had been Joanne’s grandmother’s, decades earlier. Bert died a few years ago. Kyrie and family live about five miles away. Joanne lives there still, and just had her 82nd birthday. Her loves reaches across the continent to where Brad and I live in Washington. She is a radiant soul.
JOANNE! Chapter 2 by Hannah Rishel, submitted 3-29-24
Dates Joanne recalls for significant moves, travel teaching etc
1971-75 Embraced the Baha’i Faith, lived in Iowa City(?) then Johnson County IA. Joanne attended National Convention one year as Alternate Delegate. On National Teaching Committee.
Summer 1975 Bert graduated from UI as Physician Assistant (PA). Family moved from Johnson County, IA to Crow Creek Reservation, SD. Joanne was on NTC then SD District Teaching Committee . Winter 1979-80: Traveled with “small teaching team” to tell stories of need for pioneers to SD reservations, met Blair Nichols in Detroit (who then pioneered, stayed with Karen Rambo (later Karen Jentz) in SD, and others. Shirrin passed March 1976, buried in Crow Creek Reservation land.
1979 Louis Gregory Baha’i Institute Program Director for 9 months with part of family while Bert stayed / worked at Crow Creek as PA. In late 1979, Joanne and kids returned to Crow Creek.
December 1979 Family moved to American Samoa. Bert (as PA) was the Medical Provider for 3 small islands.
December 1989 Bert had blood clot in a lower leg artery; vascular surgeon too far away (in Hawaii) to save foot in time—foot was then amputated in Hawaii. Family lived in Hawaii 1.5 years, on east side of Oahu.
Summer 1991 Family moved to Ganado AZ, Navajo Reservation. Bert worked as PA at Sage Memorial Hospital. Initially, Joanne and at least some kids lived in Caretaker’s house at Native American Baha’i Institute (50 minute commute from Ganado when roads passable). Joanne was teaching coordinator for the Reservation. Joanne, Phil Castillo (later Riaz Castillo), and Elizabeth Dahe (1st Hopi-Tewa Baha’i) had made visits as “a little travel teaching team.” Out of those joint efforts, Joanne and youngest child (Kyrie) traveled to Siberia in eastern Russia in April (I don’t know what year). Elizabeth and Phil and an ABM (name not recalled) travelled to Siberia and joined Joanne in July. In Siberia, then Mongolia, “there for the better part of a year… made two trips.” Others there part of the time were Patricia and Kevin Locke and “a small grandchild.” Martha Webb went on Joanne’s 2nd trip and stayed, providing “alcohol work—never been done there.”
1996 Moved to Maine—into her grandmother’s house. Bert stayed in Ganado for some time before joining Joanne in Maine. He continued working as a PA—perhaps into his 80s, died in 2021. Kyrie and her family live 5 miles away.
Joanne said, “I guess my life’s very full because I said yes to things people asked.”
NOTE: Diane added this addendum to Hannah’s piece about Joanne Marian because there was such a wonderful outpouring of comments on the Facebook page about Joanne & Bert. They obviously touched many hearts and are much loved! Here are those comments:
Larry Hertel: Joanne certainly made a distinct impression on me in 1973 at our first meeting. As I remember a waitress at the Ronneburg Restaurant in Amana, Iowa by the name of Gail Young, was connected with Joanne. I worked at the same restaurant with Gail and therefore met Joanne and Bert at some point. I visited the Marion household in RR North Liberty several times and knew the 3 children. Wonderful memories.
Karin Wilke: Anyone remember Burt and Joanne (Marion?) who lived north of Iowa City in the 1970s. Amazing Bahai couple, lots of meetings and events at their farm. I believe he became a Physician’s Assistant and they moved to a Native American reservation, perhaps in the Dakotas?
Vaughn Fletcher: Karin Wilke, we also spent many wonderful times with them on the farm starting in 1972!
Incredible compassionate and wonderful human beings!
Karen Jentz: I know Marians well…a year after they moved to Crow Creek Reservation in SD, I lived with them before I found my own place. She reminded me last week that the Head Start there had created a job for her which was exactly what I was doing in CO at the time, so she released the job so we could pioneer together. Bert was never an enrolled Baha’i, but certainly supported the Faith in so many ways. He often emailed me pertinent Baha’i articles over the years, etc. Anyway, he passed a couple of years ago, and Joanne is living in ME. After Crow Creek, they pioneered in American Samoa, Hawaii, on the Navajo Reservation, and probably other places I’ve forgotten. Joanne worked at Louis Gregory Institute at one time, and did travel teaching in places like Siberia. Anyway, she doesn’t use a computer these days, but maybe someone could interview her because she has a prodigious memory.
Karin Wilke: Karen Jentz, if you are in touch with Joanne, please give her my best regards. I think she will remember me, I was just a kid, asking big questions, trying to find the meaning in life. She was a very important person to me, definitely influenced me. Sorry to hear that Bert passed, he was such a good, kind man.
Riaz Castillo: Joanne is now in Maine and Bert has passed on. He totally supported all her Baha’i teaching trips and endeavors. They lived for a while in Ganado, AZ, on the Dine (Navajo) Rez. Yes they both were and ARE amazing souls.
Karen Anne Webb: Riaz Castillo, Bert was so much a Baha’i masquerading as a non-Baha’i! I remember when Shirrin was 4 or 5 and in her crib with mosquito netting draped over it, him marching around the house with a flyswatter declaring himself the “keep the flies off Shirrin brigade”!
Catherine Shore Martinez: Yes, I can testify to many teaching adventures with her and Bert. They had a disabled adopted daughter who was fine when they adopted her but then developed a genetic disorder that made it impossible for her to move, communicate or even eat. They could have returned her but they took care of her until the end of her short life.
Karin Wilke: Catherine Shore Martinez, I remember the Marians’ adopted daughter well. Her name was Shirine (I believe). Her genetic illness caused her severe disabilities. Marians put her bed in the living room. She was surrounded by love and community, even Bahai elections. As I recall, I was too young to vote, so I was tasked with counting the votes during elections.
Karen Jentz: Interesting…they were in Iowa before they came to Crow Creek. I think they came in 1975 before I came in 1976…and I thought you came after I did that year, because you stayed with me for a while in the little blue house in Ft. Thompson before you got housing at Stephan? Ditto on Bert’s letters, maybe he copied all of us on some of them!
Karen Jentz: Shirrin is buried in a Crow Creek cemetery; one of those teaching trips was written about in the American Baha’i, which brought me there to live with the Marians the first year I was a Baha’i. Anyway, I talked with Joanne this week. She and Bert lived in N. Liberty from 1966-1975, when they moved to Ft. Thompson, SD, on the Crow Creek Reservation. I was surprised to learn that she only had become a Baha’i in 1971, and she said that Iowa was so very alive Baha’i-wise during those years. She would welcome an interview by phone, and in fact welcome a phone call from anyone who remembers her during those years.
Karin Wilke: Karen, I hope someone does an interview with Joanne. The Marians were truly formative in the Bahai community in the 1970s. So many events, meetings and people gathered at their farm. Truly the welcoming ideal of what community should be.
Todd Fletcher: Burt and Joanne such beautiful souls! I remember Joanne as having the most stunning luminous eyes. They were captivating and spoke to the profoundness of her spiritual nature. Please convey my deepest regards and love to her on my behalf.
Terry Ofner: I love those two. Burt, so down to earth; Joanne’s brilliant smile. They warm my heart.
Vaughn Fletcher: We lived in Iowa City from 1972-1975 and visited their home in the country many times and had many Baha’i gathering there. It was a special time in our lives and we have never forgotten those moments!
Vaughn Fletcher: She read from the writings in our Baha’i wedding on August 6th, 1972 in Spencer, Iowa. We will never forget that moment!