Joanna slipped away the morning of August 16th, at Moog House, after a brief battle with acute leukemia. Joanna is survived by her husband Lloyd, her three sons, Brendan (Nancy), Michael (Christine) and Jonathan (Deanna), six grandchildren and one great grandchild. She is also survived by her two sisters, Sara (Greg) and Barbara, and her two brothers, John (Jean) and Sam, and their families, as well as her first cousins, Mollie Brand and Arthur Stafford.
Joanna, the eldest child of Joe and Molly Lauder, was born March 3rd, 1942, at the Nicola Valley General Hospital, Merritt. She was the first grandchild and was welcomed with great excitement by her parents, grandparents and many aunts and uncles.
Joanna grew up on the Lauder ranch in the beautiful Nicola Valley and it held a special place in her heart the whole of her life. She was home schooled for Grades 1 to 3 and then attended Merritt Elementary School and Merritt Junior Senior School.
After graduating high school in 1959 at the age of seventeen she attended the University of British Columbia where she earned her Bachelor of Education. Joanna then began her teaching career in Penticton.
It was at this time that she met Lloyd and they were married July 10th, 1965. They lived in Vancouver and Victoria but after an absence of only three years, they returned to Penticton to raise their family.
In 1990, Joanna and Lloyd moved to an acreage in Summerland where they built a home designed by Joanna and enjoyed a rural lifestyle for thirty years before moving back to Penticton in October 2020. Joanna had limitless energy and many interests.
Growing up on the ranch, she loved the outdoors, was active in the 4-H beef club and as a young woman loved horses and riding. Joanna was an avid reader; the love of books having been instilled at an early age by her maternal grandmother. Joanna was a gourmet cook. She was a wonderful hostess and her dinner parties are well remembered by her family and friends.
Joanna was a keen gardener, growing everything from award winning roses to a wide variety of vegetables and fruit. Although her health was rapidly failing, at Moog House she could still identify all the plants on the patio and was quick to point out the one weed.
Joanna was a loyal Blue Jays fan and never missed Jeopardy, often answering with the correct question. Joanna, (or Auntie Nanna as she was known to her nephews) - wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and friend - will be missed in so many ways.
A private celebration of Joanna's life will be held at a later date. If desired, donations may be made to Moog & Friends Hospice House.
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