- Date Of Birth: August 28, 1934
- Date Of Death: May 4, 2019
- State: Utah
JoAnne Nina Velazquez passed away Saturday morning on May 4, 2019, at her home, surrounded by her loved ones, due to complications of colon cancer. JoAnne has resided in Brigham City, Utah since 1985. She was born August 28, 1934, in Harbin Manchuria, China, to her parents Anatoli Josefovich Sitarek and Polia Nikki Maharinski-Sitarek, who were immigrants from Russia. In 1939, JoAnne and her family took a ship from Yokohama, Japan to Seattle, Washington.
Four years after arriving in Seattle, Anatoli drowned tragically in a fishing accident in Puget Sound, leaving Polia to raise their children by herself. During the late 1940s, Polia came down with tuberculosis and was quarantined in a sanatorium. Since their father was gone, the children were sent to an orphanage in Seattle, Washington to live until their mother became better. JoAnne’s favorite childhood memory was running away from the orphanage with her brothers, Walter and Boris, and sister, Lucy. This occurred three separate times, but they were always caught and sent back to the orphanage. Once they were able to get as far as Portland, Oregon before getting caught and returning. JoAnne loved this because she enjoyed seeing different parts of the world and going on adventures.
When she was older, JoAnne enjoyed going on vacations with her son Shareef and her grandchildren. Her favorite places to visit were Seattle, WA, California, and Wendover, NV. JoAnne had many hobbies that included completing puzzles, knitting, reading, and spending time with family and friends. She is loved by many in her community and always knew how to make people laugh. JoAnne will forever be remembered as a beautiful soul who cared deeply for her children and grandchildren and would do anything for them.
She is survived by three sons and a daughter: Shareef (Tina) Shakur, Farr West, UT; Donald Hale, Seattle, WA; Ricky Goodwin; Barbara Jordan, West Seattle, WA; eight grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers; one sister; one son and one daughter.
