Joanne Driscoll

Joanne Driscoll, age 78, passed away Monday, December 29, 2008, in Wenatchee, WA, after a 18 month battle with a rare brain tumor. She was born to Rosyne and Everett Gosch on September 12, 1930, in Little Falls, MN. Her family later settled in Medford, OR, where she attended the nursing program at the University of Portland and went on to start a long career in the medical field. She later met and married Bill Driscoll and together they had six children. Joanne moved to Wenatchee and worked at the Eye and Ear Clinic, Deaconess, St. Anthony's and Central Washington Hospitals, where she retired 27 years later as the Coordinator of the Surgery Department. She showed faith and compassion to everyone she came in contact with, whether at work or at home. With her faith in God, strong will and strength, there is no way to express the number of lives she has touched. She was a compassionate nurse, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother and all around person, whose influence will never be forgotten. Until the very end, she had a smile that would light up the room and leave everyone smiling with her. Joanne is survived by her two sisters, Pat Willison and Joyce Ferrarelli; six children, Mary Donovan, Mike Driscoll, Kerry Driscoll, Molly Shaffer, Meg Driscoll and Amy Driscoll; her grandchildren, Cody and Sara Nord, Nick and Lauren Shaffer, Kyle and Sean Driscoll, Meredith Donovan and Samantha and Maddison Story; and one great-granddaughter, Elle Driscoll. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Saturday, January 3, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. with the Rev. Fr. Tom Kuykendall celebrant. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes that donations be made to a charity in her honor. The charity will be called "Bayanihan Donation Fund", c/o any U.S. Bank branch, to help her granddaughter, Sara Nord, who is currently stationed in the Philippines with the Peace Corps. The money raised will go towards building schools and buying supplies for Filipino children in need. "In Tagalog, which is a major dialect in the Philippines, the word bayanihan carries great significance. Originally it referred to neighbors carrying a hut or house to a new location. People now use it to describe an outpouring of community spirit, as people give their all to the common good, without expecting recognition or personal gain. Her whole life was not about getting ahead in life, but helping people and providing for her family. So it is this word which I feel gives tribute to the life that she led." Arrangements are in the care of Heritage Memorial Chapel in East Wenatchee.

Joanne Driscoll

September 12, 1930 - December 29, 2008