1933 – 2026
Joanne Joy Howard was born in Ohio on Aug. 27, 1933, daughter to John and Ann Becker. Married in 1954 to Richard (Dick) Howard, they had four children: Leanne Montoya, Lauri James, Lynnea Washburn and Rick Howard. They were also blessed with seven grandsons, six great grandchildren. Joanne and Dick lived in Pleasanton, California (30 years), Carbondale (17 years), and in both Maple Valley and Issaquah, Washington (13 years). They established treasured relationships everywhere they called home.
The most important things to Joanne all throughout her life were faith, family and community.
Joanne studied nursing at Western Reserve University, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree. Her ensuing health career was very diverse, beginning in the role of an emergency backup nurse with a traveling circus, and eventually moving into administrative positions alongside many volunteer roles.
Joanne volunteered at the American Red Cross, where she taught infant education. She worked as a supervisor for a family planning clinic, as the director of Hope Hospice in California, and as a Hospice volunteer board member. Joanne was also on the board of a mental health clinic, and found time to volunteer at an animal shelter.
She enjoyed an adventurous lifestyle with her husband, traveling many countries around the world over the course of many years, sometimes with organizations, always with friends, and together they created many precious memories.
Joanne loved participating in a variety of building projects alongside her husband, which included converting a 100-year-old barn into a beautiful three-story home in Pleasanton, and construction of a home from the ground up in Carbondale.
She had a very creative side with interest in various art forms including oil painting, leaded glass, sewing, liturgical choreography and dance. Additionally, Joanne directed and participated in various church productions.
She had a joyful spirit and kind heart toward all around her, and had a deep appreciation of friends and family. She was beautiful inside and out, and embraced the fun and adventure in life. She loved to learn new things, loved to visit new places and meet new people. She loved every community she lived in, and they loved her back. Above all, she loved the Lord and her family, and we all felt it, flourished from it, and now pass on her legacy of love to our growing families.