Our dear Mom and Grammie passed away on Monday, October 9th, at her Adult Family Home in Des Moines, WA. She was 94 years old.

Joanne was born in Seattle, WA on November. 20, 1928. Her parents, Jerome and Doris Wagenfuehr, her sister , Frannie, and Joanne lived on Wildwood Lane in south Seattle. Her Father's bakery was located at the bottom of Wildwood Lane on Rainier Ave. As a high school student, Joanne would stop by the bakery after school to visit her Father and grab a giant cookie or butterhorn. She often would help in the soda fountain on the weekends, but was usually sent downstairs by her very protective Father, if any cute boys walked in!

At the top of Wildwood Lane was Seward Park Ave. Across the street and down a long driveway leading to Lake Washington, lived her beloved grandparents, two aunts Essie and Ellie, and her Uncle Wendell. Joanne had an idyllic childhood surrounded by her family, extended family and fun on the lake! They all doted on her, and she on them.

Joanne enrolled at The University Of Washington following her graduation from Franklin High School in 1947. She met and fell in love with her husband, Donald Elmore in Dr. Dixie Lee Ray’s Zoology class. Coincidentally, years later, her son, Mark, met his wife, Pam, when they both had summer jobs at The Pacific Science Center working for Dr. Ray!

Joanne left the UW at the end of the school year, married Don, and their son, Mark was born a year later. Joanne loved being a mom and homemaker. When Don graduated from the UW he joined the Air Force just as WWII was winding down. He was stationed in Munich, Germany. Joanne joined Don in Germany where their second child, Patti, was born in 1953. They lived on the American Air Base in Officer Quarters, and stayed in Germany for several years. They thoroughly enjoyed exploring Europe. Joanne's travel experiences prior to traveling to Europe was crossing the state line into Oregon, so it must have been surreal to her at the time!

After leaving the Air Force the family moved to Quinault, WA where Don was a math teacher, the vice principal and coach at the local high school. They loved their time there but eventually Don decided to get his engineering degree which led to an offer from Standard Oil in San Francisco. Don accepted, and they lived in the Bay Area for 4 years. They were happy there but over the years they became homesick for family and friends in the PNW, and they decided to return to Washington. Don accepted a position at Keyport Naval Torpedo Station. They bought a waterfront home, on Oyster Bay in Bremerton, and they lived there happily for over 40 years. During that time they joined the United Methodist Church, and spent many hours volunteering there, including taking care of the flower gardens. They loved growing a large vegetable garden, and Joanne loved canning their harvest. They played bridge and had a dinner/bridge group of great friends that lasted many years. They traveled around the country, sent Mark and Patti off to college, enjoyed golf, long walks and liked planning numerous trips with their hiking groups. They also were thrilled to add Mark’s wife, Pam, to the family and eventually grandsons Brett and Jake. Another happy addition was when Patti’s daughter Brittany was added to the fold! Joanne and Don were crazy about their grandkids and spent a lot of time going to their games, events, dance recitals and always ready to jump in to babysit when needed. It was a happy time for all! Unfortunately, it didn't last long enough as Don passed away at the age of 70. Mom bravely went on. We all realized how strong she was and were so proud of her. She stayed at their home for several years on her own. Eventually she, Patti and Brittany decided to move in together and purchased a new construction home in Kent. Britt lived there with Grammie and her Mom while finishing her Master’s program at Seattle University. The three generations had some great times together while Brittany finished at Seattle U. Fortunately Joanne lived long enough to get to know and dearly love Brittany’s husband, Devin and their beautiful daughters, Avery, age 8 and Ayden, age 4. Such a blessing! As Joanne’s health was declining, she eventually moved into Solstice in Normandy Park where she had her own apartment for 9 years and made many lovely friends. From Solstice Joanne moved to Amani, an Adult Family Home, where she received excellent, compassionate care and kindness from the owner and staff there, and more kind attention from Franciscan Hospice.

Joanne doted on her Family and was the quintessential Family Matriarch. We love and appreciate her beyond all measure and thank her for her constant love in our lives. God speed Mom….. Until we meet again. 

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