Joan C. "Jo" Smith

Hastings resident Joan C. “Jo” Smith, 70, passed away Sunday, September 21, 2025, at Mary Lanning Healthcare, Hastings, NE. 

Memorial Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 30, at Faith Lutheran Church in Hastings with Pastor Paul Dunbar officiating. There will be no burial at this time. Visitation will be one hour before the service at the church. Memorials may be given to the family for a memorial to be established at a later date. The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to Jo’s obituary and click the play button shown toward the bottom of the page. 

Jo was born on April 13, 1955, in York, NE, to Ernest and Alberta (Junge) Brackhan. She graduated from York High School in 1972 and later went on to work as one of the first women in the Nebraska National Guard, where she was employed until her reaching of a rank of E8. After the Guard she met Thomas Smith and they had their one and only child, a daughter, Chelsea Sturgeon (Smith). Jo cherished her deeply. Chelsea was her pride and joy. Jo loved to travel and road trips living in many states across the country. But Nebraska was always home. 

A woman of quiet strength and dedication, with a great sense of humor and contagious laugh. Loved by friends and family and all that knew her. Jo will be remembered for her guiding love, her commitment to service, and her faith. 

Jo was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Alberta (Junge) Brackhan and ex-husband, Smitty Smith. 

SURVIVORS: 
Daughter:
    Chelsea Sturgeon 
Bonus Daughter:
    Crystal Aurini 
Sisters & Brother:
    Donna (Bryan Anderson) Galusha - Minden, NE 
    Lynetta (Jim) Luethje - York, NE 
    Scott Brackhan - York, NE 
    Lori (Tom) Hartwig - Hastings, NE 
Many nieces and nephews to cherish her memory