Joan Ann Kirkeby, loving mother, grandmother, mormor (great-grandmother), and friend, passed away on 12/27/2019 at Tidewell Hospice due to complications from a stroke. She was 80 years old.

Born in San Francisco, California, she always knew her roots were in California. But after living in over 20 different places and traveling to over 10 different countries, she felt connections to many different locales. After getting her Master of Theology from the University of San Francisco, she found that one of her greatest joys was teaching, counseling, and spending time with her students. She taught and counseled in Scottsdale, AZ, Radford, VA, Charlottesville, VA, and Kwaluseni, Swaziland. Her favorite place to teach was Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. As Campus Minister there, she worked with many troubled students helping them heal, grow, and thrive. She continued to teach throughout her life, including in recent months, holding lectures at Aviva, where she resided.

Joan Ann had one of those fun-loving spirits that never grew old. She always wanted to be in on the latest fashion, the current trends, and the newest innovations. She was also a woman who would always fight for her convictions. She had a big heart and was compelled to help people in any way she could.

She passed along a passion for nature, a love of learning, and a respect for others to her son, Thurston (Mary), her daughters Sabrina (Bill), Desiree (Mike), and Risa, her son Bernard (Molly), her grandchildren Ashlie (Frank), Heather, Emma, Jocelyn, Tristan, Kalea, and Sarah, and her great-grandson, Bailey.

A Celebration of Life will be held for her at Aviva in Sarasota on January 31, 2020 at 2:30pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation of any size to Tidewell Hospice: https://tidewellhospice.org/h…
Thank you to the staff at Tidewell Hospice for making her last days comfortable and for all the amazing help they provided her family. And consider making your next dog a rescue. Joan Ann loved her rescue dog, Surrey, and encouraged everyone to adopt rescue dogs.

Joan Ann wished to have her ashes spread in the Redwoods in California, returning her to the place she always knew was home. This ceremony is currently scheduled for June 20.