Our mother, Joanne T. Wright, passed peacefully on June 24, 2023. She leaves behind her daughter Carol, her son Dave and his wife Tina, and two Grandchildren, Michael and wife Emily, and Steven and two great grandchildren, Adam and Louisa. She also leaves behind her brother Jim.
Joanne grew up in Ohio and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan. She moved to Connecticut and then Florida as her husband, Dick’s job asked the family to move. In West Hartford, Connecticut she worked as a school teacher and then ran a museum, the Noah Webster House, working hard to make it a true representation of the era. Dave spent many an afternoon there after school.
Joanne was the state president of the PEO Sisterhood in Connecticut in 1976. She continued her membership while she was living in Florida.
She also led a church preschool in Stuart, Florida for many years. Her son Dave’s first job was working at the preschool to cook snacks for the children. She and Dick retired and moved to Ocala.
Joanne also enjoyed art. She took a painting class in Venice. She and Dick also traveled to New York City with Tina and Dave to see the play Hamilton. Because of her friendly nature, she met many new people on the trip! She also collected buttons and made artistic displays which she entered in competitions. She won multiple prizes for her displays.
Joanne loved her times with family at “Their Cabin” in Massachusetts. Joanne’s grandfather established the homestead and many family members have and continue to enjoy it.
Joanne loved nature, especially identifying wildflowers and birds. She would take her young son out in the woods occasionally to identify new plants and flowers. She also kept wildflowers pressed in her field guides. She and Dick took Dave and Tina to the Everglades to see the incredible variety of birds and wildlife. She also traveled to the Dry Tortugas with the Audubon Society just to see the amazing variety of migrating birds.
She inspired Dave to appreciate and identify wildflowers. In fact, on a trip to Germany, Tina and Dave stopped many times to pick and press wildflowers to bring them back home for Joanne. Dave continues to take walks and appreciate and identify wildflowers, even in his own backyard!
There will be a public service at 1:00 pm on July 9, 2023 at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Home, 910 SE Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, FL 34470
If you would like to donate or send a remembrance, please donate to Hospice of Marion County. More info is available here: https://www.hospiceofmarion.com/donate/