Joan El-Khatib

A Memorial Mass for Joan Sullivan El-Khatib, age 88, of North Carolina and Illinois, formerly of O’Neill, Nebraska will be at 10:30 am Saturday, February 8, 2025, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in O’Neill, NE.  Burial will follow in the O’Neill Cemetery.  Fr. Bernard Starman will be officiating.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the Memorial Mass at the church.  Joan passed away on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at Eden Village Care Center in Glen Carbon, IL.  Services are being handled by Weber and Rodney Funeral Home in Edwardsville, Illinois and locally by Biglin’s Mortuary in O’Neill, Nebraska.

Joan Sullivan El-Khatib, born on August 9, 1936, in O’Neill, Nebraska, passed away peacefully on January 30, 2025, in Edwardsville, IL surrounded by her loving family.

Joan attended O’Neill St. Mary’s Catholic School and graduated in 1954.  After high school, she moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where she worked as a secretary.  In 1959, she married Shukri El-Khatib in Oklahoma City.  Joan supported her husband’s academic pursuits by working in various clerical positions in Houston, College Station, Texas, and Memphis, Tennessee, while he earned his Master’s and PhD in Biochemistry.

In 1973, the family relocated to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Joan worked at the private school her children attended and dedicated herself to raising her family for 18 years.  In 1991, she returned to the mainland to be closer to her family and to care for her sisters during their illnesses. She spent most of her later years in North Carolina, working as a house mother for AOPi and as a caregiver for the elderly.

Joan was an active member of her local Catholic Church and cherished her time playing card games and Dominos with friends.  She was known for her selfless dedication to her children, grandchildren, friends, and family, always offering help with a joyful heart.  Joan loved cooking and baking - always eager to share her delicious creations and join in the celebrations – and enjoyed relaxing with a good book and an ice-cold glass of sun tea!

She is survived by her brother, Jim Sullivan (Nola); her son, Issam (Tina); daughters, Hala Taylor (James) and Mona Martinez (Jorge); grandchildren, Kaleb El-Khatib (Angelique), Kacey, Alyya, Ayden, and Alyck El-Khatib; Zackary, Joshua, and Gabrielle Santiago; Jason and Simon Taylor; and Emma, Joseph, and Matthew Martinez; great- grandchildren, Atreyu El-Khatib and Roman Santiago; and many nieces and nephews.

Joan was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Catherine (Bobbi) Sullivan; her sisters, Rose Prouty and Jean Sullivan Hopkins; and her daughter, Runda El-Khatib.

Joan’s legacy of love, kindness, and dedication will be cherished by all who knew her.  She will be deeply missed.

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