JoAnn Morrison Patriarca

JoAnn Morrison PATRIARCA JoAnn Morrison Patriarca of Kirkland Washington passed away peacefully at her home on March 29, 2011 after a five month fight against liver cancer. Born in Seattle Washington, November 30, 1939 to Josephine and Auston Morrison, JoAnn was an ardent student and talented artist. She received her Masters in fine art from the University of Washington and participated in numerous exhibitions, receiving many awards. After college she joined the Peace Corps and ventured to Africa to teach at the Yaba college of technology in Lagos Nigeria, later traveling throughout Africa, the Middle East and Europe from Nigeria to Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, Turkey, Aiden, Jordan, Spain, Italy and France. She returned to the United States when she was accepted to study for a Doctorate of Fine Arts at Ohio State University. After a year, she returned overseas to learn graphics and photography at the Atelier 17 graphic studio in Paris, France where she again contributed to exhibitions and even sold one of her prints to the famed Biblioteque Nationale. During her travels she met and married the late Franco Patriarca eventually moving back to the United States to raise their family. Along with being home maker and later caregiver to her ailing husband she taught photography and art professionally, delivered newspapers and worked for the food service in the school district her children were part of. She is survived by these two children and loving sons, Anthony and Cassidy. Memorial Services will be held at 12:30pm on Saturday April 9th at Bleitz Funeral Home - 316 Florentia St, Seattle WA 98103.