Joan Leslie Grimm nee Jarvi Obituary

Joan Leslie Grimm, nee Jarvi, was able to go Home on November 6th, 2025, after spending her last years with Alzheimer's Dementia. She is joining her husband, Liam Jeffrey Grimm (1943-2009), her mother Maria Estella Jarvi (1920-2024), her father Eino Jarvi, and two sisters, Maria Laaninen and Geraldine Mackenzie.

Joan was born in Ishpeming, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, on July 12, 1945. She is the third of seven children. She graduated from Champion High School in 1963 and continued to gain an Associate of Arts Degree in music at Suomi College in Houghton, MI, in the Upper Peninsula. A visit with cousins out west brought up the possibility of further schooling at the University of Idaho. Her cousin convinced her and welcomed her to stay and begin school by the summer of 1965. She finished her music degree in 1969.

This is where she met her husband, Jeff Grimm, later known as Liam in life. They knew each other in passing and as “the friend of” people they knew, but did not begin enjoying each other until Joan became single again. Jeff visited her and thought she wasn’t that interested in their time together because she was so quiet and independent during their visits. Then he moved away to pursue his theological interests, and they began writing to each other. Joan’s letters are where her mind showed its colors and depth, curiosity, theories, and poetry. Those letters were enticing to Jeff, and their subsequent letters are where they fell in love. Joan graduated from the University of Idaho in 1969, and they were married on June 11th. Joan Jarvi became Joan Grimm.

Joan and Jeff had two daughters, Jenessa in 1974, and Juniana in 1976. The Grimm family moved as Jeff pursued his interests, from Canada to Idaho, to Washington, then to Iowa, and finally to North Dakota. Joan took care of their daughters until school age, and then put her music degree to use teaching elementary school children the joy of music-play. She would occasionally play the flute, the guitar, and enjoyed singing with a beautiful soprano voice.

During family life Joan was a music teacher, worked at a bakery, worked as a Merry Maid, and helped to create a consignment shop with other local crafters. During their time in Iowa, she became a skilled clay sculptor with a unique, whimsical style making it obvious that her creations were not machine-made. In the early to mid 1990’s Joan had a garden sculpture shop called  The Terra Cotta Tortoise, in the Shakopee, MN Renaissance Fair. She would drive from Portland, ND to the fair each of the seven weeks that the fair was running, and was very successful. In North Dakota she also had several people visit her studio to make clay items with her, and it served as a gentle therapy for many. Joan was a wonderful, wise listener and friend to many people, both through her clay and from simply being present.

In church, while in the church choir of which her husband was usually the director, Joan also directed the Bell Choir. She was very active in the family’s church community and events, working with the church women of various denominations.

Once their daughters moved away, in 2002 Joan and Jeff moved to Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada. They began living with friends and eventually moved into their own small apartment overlooking Campbell River. By this time, Jeff became known as Liam (since their housemate friends also had a “Jeff” and it became confusing in the household). They filed for and became legal immigrants of Canada and were able to stay for almost 20 years. Joan became a beloved teacher of clay sculpture at the Campbell River Community Center, and at Beacon Club, an activity center for those with special needs.  She was involved in community and church events, making good friends easily.

She became a grandmother to five grandchildren, and great-grandmother to two.

From Jenessa’s family she became a grandmother to: Holden Alexander Gayheart (born 1996), Jaben Jeffrey Gayheart (born 2001), and Edgar Gayheart IV (born 2003).

She became a great-grandmother to Jaben’s children: Alice Rose Gayheart (2022), and Scout Daniel Gayheart (2024)

From Juniana’s family she is grandmother to: Aryana Lanning (born 2002), and Jarvi Lanning (born 2006).

In 2009 Liam passed away, and despite sorrow Joan strived for the strength of living without her life partner. She was comforted by the community friends she had, and kept in touch with her daughters. She continued to drive to Portland, OR to see them each year. She remained active in Campbell River, and two years after Liam’s passing she and her friend Margot took a trip to Nepal to experience the culture and do some hiking.

Her mother Estella in Upper Michigan began needing in-home care, which Joan’s sister Julie provided. But Joan would go up there twice per year for a month or two each time to give her sister some time to herself. To do this, Joan would drive to Portland and see her daughters before catching the Amtrak Empire Builder to Chicago where her brother would pick her up and drive her to her mother’s. On her way back she would repeat the process, thereby touching base with daughters and family regularly.

In the final twenty years of her life, Joan experienced Meniere's Disease, so her hearing became increasingly difficult. She would experience serious bouts of vertigo, so she stopped driving. The Covid pandemic began, and Juni and Jenessa heard that Joan’s awareness was becoming more confused. In 2021 Juniana drove up to Campbell River, overcoming Covid border restrictions,  and arranged for Joan to move to Portland.  They returned to Canada the following year, with the help of Juni’s family,  to pack up Joan’s apartment for good. Thus, she was able to be near her daughters as her mind began declining through Alzheimer’s.

In the final four years of her life, Joan moved from a room she rented in a house, to her own studio apartment, where her daughters cared for her,  and then in the last two years to Harvest Homes Memory Care Facility. Her daughters spent almost every week with her, taking walks with her, going to coffee or lunch dates, or sitting and being present with her through the worsening hearing loss and dementia. She was well taken care of at Harvest Homes, and was being held by a nurse when she passed. Her daughters were with her within an hour of her passing, and she will be with them for the rest of their lives despite this loss.

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