JoAnn Haggard

JoAnn Verna Haggard, of Portage, MI, passed away peacefully on October 1, 2026.

She was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on August 1, 1938, the daughter of Howard and Edna (Schildwachter) Colvin.

JoAnn married Peter Dale Haggard in 1961 in Hamilton, Ohio. Together, they shared more than 40 years of marriage and raised four daughters before Peter's passing in 2002.

JoAnn's tenacity was evident from a very young age. Following a brief illness at age five, she was diagnosed with a significant hearing loss. Though hearing impairments carried a stigma in the 1940s, JoAnn attended a specialized school where she learned to navigate her hearing loss through lip-reading rather than using the cumbersome, heavy battery packs of early hearing aids. Through perseverance, JoAnn lived life with incredible self-reliance. After graduating from Notre Dame High School in Hamilton, she attended beauty school in Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked as a beautician before marrying Pete and moving to Portage, Michigan.

In Portage, they built a beautiful life together, and JoAnn found her true calling as a devoted mother and grandmother. Every day, she displayed immense empathy, warmth, compassion, and selflessness. Her family was the center of her world, and she was deeply involved in every aspect of their lives-preparing family meals, volunteering at school, supporting their passions, and attending her daughters' and grandchildren's many sporting events, school performances, and special activities.

A devout Catholic, JoAnn found great comfort and strength in her faith. She was a longtime parishioner of both St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church and St. Augustine Cathedral Parish in Kalamazoo. She cherished her faith community and truly enjoyed traveling and socializing alongside her many friends from all walks of life.

JoAnn is survived by her daughters, Joyce (Don) Vos, Karen Turbin, Patty (Chad) Schuring, and Krissie (Matt) Copp; 10 cherished grandchildren: Stephanie (Robert) Chidester, Erick (Molly) Vos, JoAnna Turbin, Hannah, Nevin, and Eileen Schuring, and Peter (Nicole), Henry, Callie, and Elsie Copp; her great-grandchildren, Jackson, Eloise, and Lincoln Chidester; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Peter Haggard; her parents, Howard and Edna Colvin; and her brother, Eldon Colvin.

A memorial visitation will be held on Monday, October 12, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. followed by a Rosary service at 7:00 p.m. at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, 411 East Centre Ave., Portage, MI 49002. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Augustine Cathedral Parish in Kalamazoo on Tuesday, October 13, at 10:00 a.m., light luncheon to follow at the Father Crowley Center. Private interment will take place at Ft. Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, MI, where JoAnn will be laid to rest alongside her beloved husband, Peter.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in JoAnn's honor to:

-2026 Fisher House Foundation, Inc. 12300 Twinbrook Pkwy, Suite 410, Rockville, MD 20852

-Gentiva Hospice Care, 1911 W. Centre Ave. #1 Portage, MI 49024

Please visit JoAnn's memorial webpage to share memories and offer condolences to her family at https://www.Langelands.com