Joann C. Lauber

Joann Clara (Gebhart) Lauber, 72, a resident of Aurora, CO, passed away on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, in her home.

She was born September 5, 1952 in Miles City, Montana, the daughter of Donald and Mildred (Bowar) Gebhart. She spent ten years in Miles City before the family moved to Miller, South Dakota. The family spent less than a year in Miller, before moving to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where she graduated high school and then enlisted in the United States Navy in 1970.

Joann completed her Navel Training in Bainbridge, Maryland and then went to the Great Lakes Hospital Corps near Chicago, Illinois. She was then stationed in Bremerton, Washington at the Navel Hospital. While serving in Washington, Joann met her soulmate Robert (Bob) W. Lauber and they got married in 1972 in her hometown of Fergus Falls. Joann was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1973 with the rank of Hospital Corpsman, Third Class.

Joann and Bob moved to Denver, Colorado in 1973 where Bob’s parents resided. She then enrolled at Arapahoe Community College and earned her associates degree. Joann went on to work for Colorado Medical Laboratories as a medical technician/microbiologist where she ultimately retired in 2017 from the same company that hired her, currently known as Quest Diagnostics.

Joann and Bob bought a home together in 1977 in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. She would reside in this house until her passing. As their suburban life was beginning, Joann and Bob welcomed their first child Michael on June 5, 1979. Three years and eleven months later to the day, they welcomed their second child, Christopher on May 5, 1983. Sadly, on March 7, 1984, Bob passed away.

Joann was now a single mother facing the difficult task of raising two young boys on her own and with a lot of help from her in-laws and family she persevered. Above all else, Joann loved her family and even though most of them lived throughout Minnesota, she made it a point to visit for a few weeks every year, usually in the summer. She also loved making quick trips back home for graduations, weddings and more. Along with countless trips to New Mexico to visit family plus spending plenty of time with her sister’s family right here in Aurora. In her later years, she joined other family members in purchasing a lake house in Minnesota where she loved to visit and spend even more time with family.

Her passion in life was to travel. She took her boys on trips that included the Bahamas/Disney World and a cruise through Alaska and as she got older, she begun to travel even more. With friends and family as her travel companions, she traveled throughout the United States, Europe, and of course her favorite destination, Mexico!

In between her travels she was blessed with her first grandchild in 2009 and her second grandchild in 2012. She loved her grandchildren dearly and known as Nana #2 she spent countless hours watching them, attending school events, and of course their hockey games.

Joann will be remembered for her love of family, her resilience, her caring nature along with her chicken enchiladas, thinking Julesburg, CO had 2 exits from the highway and her recently discovered love of selfies.

Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband, a brother, Robert, passed 1960; and a brother, Mark, passed 2016.

Joann is survived by: two sons: Michael (Amy) Lauber of Englewood, CO and Christopher Lauber of Aurora, CO; two grandchildren Caden and Jacob of Englewood, CO; four sisters: Mary (Steve) Bisson of Aurora, CO, Theresa (Joel) Hought of Colorado Springs, CO, Carol (Brent) Manley of Brainerd, MN, and Nancy (Jim) Blank of Alexandria, MN; five brothers: Jim Gebhart of Hendersonville, TN, Pat Gebhart of Rogers, MN, Ed Gebhart (Jim Acosta) of Albuquerque, NM, Pete (Bonnie) Gebhart of Detroit Lakes, MN, and Joe (Karen) Gebhart of Moorhead, MN: 14 nephews/nieces, 14 great nephews/nieces; and a sister-in-law, Cheryl Gebhart.

In lieu of flowers and gifts please consider donating to Joann's favorite charity: The Women's Military Memorial (I can't get the website link to post here for you, so I put in word doc and attached) 

Donors can enter info to let the family know you donated. Under Give in Honor Please use jlauber52@comcast.net for email and 52728 for honorees member ID