- Date Of Birth: October 29, 1931
- Date Of Death: November 17, 2015
- State: Arizona
L. Joanne Larson, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on November 17, 2015, after a several year battle with Parkinson’s disease. She passed peacefully at home with her daughter, Barbara, and husband, Robert, by her side. Just prior to her death, she celebrated a wonderful 84th birthday with family and friends.
Joanne was born Lois Joanne Bradford on October 29, 1931 in McKeesport (Versailles Borough), Pennsylvania to parents Viola May Badders Bradford and the late Thomas Ames Bradford. She graduated from McKeesport High School in 1949, where she was the copy editor of her high school yearbook.
In 1950, she met love of her life, Robert W. Larson, when he was a choir director and she was an alto in the Barcy Memorial Choir. They were married on July 12, 1952, and spent 63 memorable years together. They lived in McKeesport, Pennsylvania and later relocated to Fountain Hills in 1984, a move they both considered the best decision they ever made!
Joanne spent nearly 50 years as a secretary, working in the early years of their marriage from home, then later as a medical secretary in a local physician’s office. She spent the final 10+ years of her career as a medical secretary and trainer for Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, being most proud of opening the “new” clinic. She proudly retired from Mayo 10 years later.
