- Date Of Birth: May 10, 1936
- Date Of Death: November 10, 2019
- State: Michigan
Passed away Sunday evening, November 10, 2019. Joanne was born May 10, 1936 in Battle Creek, MI the daughter of the late Merle and Velma (Lason) Piper.
Joanne’s parents moved their family from Battle Creek to Kalamazoo when she was a young girl. She attended Milwood Junior High and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School. Her first job was working at the soda fountain in the family business, Piper City Drug Store, the first pharmacy in Kalamazoo. She married, the children grew, and the young family made many memories.
As life changed, Joanne worked very hard to provide for her children. She continued to work at the family business with her parents and also became a licensed cosmetologist. She was a hair stylist at Gilmore’s Department Store salon and a model for many of the Gilmore fashion shows. With the encouragement of her husband Stan, she later became a successful business owner at The Diet Centers in Southwest Michigan. She owned, operated and counseled clients for many years.
Joanne had a lively and fun-loving spirit. She used her personality to help others and graduated from Clown School and became a professional clown named “Bubbles”. She used her clowning skills to visit those who were ill and needed some cheering up.
Joanne and Stan retired and moved to Florida in 1992. They enjoyed their time together and loved the Florida life. They moved to a golf community, socialized, entertained friends and family, and lived life to the fullest. Joanne attended Roser Memorial Community Church on Anna Maria Island. She became a Stevens Minister and helped those who were going through a life crisis. Her faith was strong and she knew the power of prayer in her own life.
Joanne enjoyed family time and was known to her grandchildren as “Funny Grandma” or “Grammy”. She loved having a good time and when she was part of a gathering, that is when the fun would begin. If you knew Joanne, you probably have a funny and entertaining story that you could tell about your time with her.
On August 25, 1979 she was united in marriage to Stanley VanDam who preceded her in death on February 23, 2010.
She was also preceded in death by a son-in-law, Kenneth Draayer in 2006; and by a sister, Nancy Ebbole. Joanne is survived by her children, Sherrie Draayer, Brett Gowen, Deana (Ken) Crane; step-children, Robert (Pam) VanDam, Linda (Brian) DeDoes, Karen Pittman, Sharon (Bradley) Norg; 25 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; a brother, Thomas (Kay) Piper; a cousin, John (Patty) Stetler; and several nieces and nephews.
