Joann Southworth, 89, of The Villages, Florida, passed away on March 9th after a brief battle with the blood cancer, MDS. She passed peacefully at Cornerstone Hospice House.
Joann was born on March 21st, 1933, on the family farm near Hillsboro, Ohio. After graduating from Hillsboro High School in 1951. Afterwards, Joann attended Cosmetology school to become a beautician, a profession she would do for the next 12 years.
In 1953, she met the love of her life, James Harold Southworth, and they would soon marry and have two children, Daniel and Sandra.
In 1963 the family moved to Ocala, Florida. Joann worked briefly as a clerk for Sears before being hired as a Legal Secretary for the Marion County Prosecutor’s office. She would continue to work as a legal secretary for over 30 years. In 1979, Joann and Harold moved to Tucson, where they remained until returning to Florida in 2006 to be closer to family.
Joann was a long-term cancer survivor, first diagnosed with cancer in 1967 and fighting cancer until a complete remission in 2009. She underwent numerous experimental treatments, mainly at the University of Florida Shands Hospital in Gainesville and the University of Arizona, Tucson. Through all the many treatments, Joann always maintained a positive attitude with a sense of humor and was dedicated to her family.
Joann loved hiking, especially in the mountains surrounding Tucson. After the passing of her husband, Harold, in 2018, she took up watercolors at 85, displaying a natural talent as she painted her favorite subject, birds.
Joann is survived by her sister, Barbara, children, Daniel and Sandra; grandchildren, John, Jean, David, Elisabeth, and Ashley and great-grandchildren, Kaylee, Perry, Annabella, Sofia, Christopher, Ariana, Alejandro, and Lillianna.
The family requests that donations be made to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers. Joann’s ashes will be spread at the National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.