Joanne Mathews
Joanne was born in Mullens, West Virginia, while her parents–James Joseph Smith (Smith Construction) and Geraldine Bonita Kane–were temporarily away from their home in Youngstown, Ohio. Geraldine worked in the accounting department at Youngstown Steel, and Joe carved highways and roads across America with his construction crew. An only child through the Great Depression and beyond, Joanne attended school in Youngstown and graduated from Denison University (Granville, Ohio) with a Liberal Arts degree as a member of Pi Beta Phi. She drove a 1954 Ford Crown Victoria and began a career in broadcasting and library work.
Joanne preferred libraries and served in public libraries of Youngstown, Ohio and Munising, Michigan; and later in the Learning Resource Center at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Michigan. She was secretary for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Hospital Administrators Board for more than twenty years, served as president of the Munising Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, and helped launch her first husband’s radio station.
In retirement, Joanne remained impactful in her community, serving for several years as a board member at Spanish Cove in Lillian, Alabama. She chaired the Activities Committee and served as vice president of the Lillian Women’s Club as recently as 2020.
Joanne descended from a long line of Americans who arrived at the New Haven Colony in the early 1600’s and traveled to many countries over the course of her life. She enjoyed music (guitar, piano, and singing), oil painting, reading, tennis, and bowling.
Joanne was preceded in death by her parents and her husbands, George A. Freeman, Robert J. Hamilton, and Donald J. Matthews. She is survived by her son, George Joseph Freeman; daughter, Patricia Dale (Freeman) Nesberg; son-in-law, John Filus; grandchildren, Richard Gentry, Andrew Nesberg, and Daniel Nesberg; and great-grandchildren, Allison Mercier, Jinx Nesberg, Indiana Nesberg, and Lila Nesberg. She also had stepchildren: Troy (deceased), Chris (deceased), Thomas, Lori, and Lynn Hamilton; and Kevin, Kim (Fulcher), and Monte Matthews.
At this time no formal services will be taking place. The Skradski Family Funeral Homes of Delta County are assisting the Matthews family. To offer an online message of sympathy please visit www.skradskifuneralhomes.com.
