JoAnn was born on September 20, 1954, to Lonnie and Alta (Petersen) Rea in Plainview, NE—the fifth of seven children. She was a lifelong Nebraskan who grew up on a farm near Plainview and attended a one-room country school through sixth grade. She then attended public school in Plainview, graduating from high school in 1972. Following high school, she attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in accounting. She graduated with high distinction in 1975 while passing all components of the Certified Public Accountant examination, a feat seldom accomplished by the age of twenty. Her leadership was evidenced early as she was a charter member and the first president of the Beta Alpha Psi honorary society at the university.
She began her professional career at the Touche Ross & Company accounting firm in 1976. JoAnn attended Colorado State University in 1981, where she completed a master’s degree in taxation. She joined Ameritas in 1984, then known as Bankers Life Nebraska. She started as an audit division manager and rose through the company, serving in various key leadership roles before being elected CEO in 2009. She retired in January of 2020. Under her leadership, Ameritas saw its assets grow by 61% and its customer base increase by 75%. Martin held the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and FLMI (Fellow, Life Management Institute) designations. She had the distinct honor and privilege to work with many talented colleagues during her thirty-five years at Ameritas to fulfill the lives of customers and associates. She thrived on team success.
In addition to her roles at Ameritas, she served as a board member for publicly traded companies NRC Health and Nelnet. She participated in numerous other business and community roles. Among them were chairwoman of the American Council of Life Insurers (second women ever), chairwoman of the University of Nebraska Foundation Board of Directors, member of Board of Directors for the Omaha Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, chairwoman of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, board member of the Million Dollar Roundtable Foundation, board member of several University of Nebraska endeavors. She is also a fellow in the National Association of Corporate Directors. She served on the Lincoln Vision and Prosper Lincoln steering committees and was vice chair for the Lincoln Community Foundation. She also volunteered for many school and community causes and was a member of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.
Some of the awards bestowed on JoAnn for her corporate and community leadership include her 2015 induction into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame, 2018 Woman of the Year honor at the Lincoln Journal Star’s Inspire Awards, the Burnham Yates Citizenship Award from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and Nebraskan of the Year by Lincoln Rotary Club #14. In 2004 she was inducted into the School of Accountancy Hall of Fame at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The University of Nebraska Foundation honored JoAnn as its 2021 recipient of the Perry W. Branch Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service. She was recently recognized as the initial recipient of the JoAnn Martin Civic Leadership Award.
Governor Pete Ricketts said Thursday that Martin was a pillar of the Lincoln community and trailblazer in the insurance industry. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green said “All of UNL mourns the much too soon loss of one of the greatest Huskers, most distinguished alumna, and widely respected business leaders who ever lived. She deeply loved her University and we deeply loved her. She made us all better.”
She is survived by her husband, Derrel Martin of Lincoln; daughters, Jennifer (Carl) Bartholomew of Omaha, Kimberly (Ben) Neuwirth of San Francisco, CA; grandchildren, Anna Bartholomew, Abigail and Sophie Neuwirth; sister, Donna Carpenter of Neligh, NE; brothers, Lonald Rea, of Lincoln, Robert Rea of Dallas, TX, James (Melisah) Rea of Omaha, Steve (Nick McCarthy) Rea of Lockport, IL; mother-in-law, Merrella Martin of Benkelman, NE; sister-in-law, Kathy (Lonny) Stahlecker of Benkelman, NE; brothers-in-law, Terry (Verla) Martin of Benkelman, NE, Merrel (Diana) Martin of Benkelman, NE. Preceded in death by her parents, Lonnie and Alta Rea; sister, Barbara Kelly; father-in-law, Harry Martin; sister-in-law, Judy Rea; brothers-in-law, Billy Kelly and JC Carpenter.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 pm, Thursday (10/28/2021) at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 8550 Pioneers Blvd, Lincoln, NE. Private prior burial at Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery. A Memorial Gathering will be held 5:00-8:00 pm, Wednesday (10/27/21) at Roper & Sons South Lincoln Chapel, 3950 Hohensee Dr. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed towards either the University of Nebraska Foundation (1010 Lincoln Mall, #300, Lincoln, NE, 68508) or the Lincoln Community Foundation (215 Centennial Mall South, #100, Lincoln, NE, 68508); Please note memorial donations made “In Memory of JoAnn Martin”.