Joan Anliss Heath (Harrison)

Joan Anliss Heath (Harrison) was born on November 11, 1940 in Rockville Centre, NY to Anliss Grace Harrison (Heerman) and Robert Jones Harrison. She was the second of four children. She is preceded in death by her older brother, Maj. Robert Heerman Harrison (d. 1972, Vietnam) and younger sister, Cynthia Scott Eastman (d. 2025).

She used to say that when she was a very little girl in New York, she sincerely thought Jones Beach was "Joan's Beach." She loved spumoni ice cream, bulls-eye caramels, and Sen-Sen. As a teen she was a devoted fan of Elvis and attended one of Alan Freed's legendary “Rock and Roll” shows. Joan graduated from Massapequa High School on Long Island in 1958.

In 1959, she moved 'out west' to marry a cowboy, Harry Ellsworth Heath Jr., in Sidney, Nebraska—having met while he was in the Navy. They had three daughters: Brenda Lyn, Valerie Jean and Janice Lee. Valerie Jean (Arent) passed away in 2012 at age 50.

Though the family spent most of their time in the Midwest, Joan never quite lost her New York accent (or spirit). She took the challenge of rural life head-on—managing large gardens, square dancing, gravel roads, horses, and home cooking. Her western family and friends can perhaps still remember some of her East Coast catchphrases, which included “Know what I mean, Jellybean?” “Good deal-y, Scungilli,” and the (usually) joking “Capiche?!” During her time in Nebraska, she also earned her LPN nursing license and became a visiting nurse.

She had remarkable vitality and an independent streak that she carried with her until her last days. Upon her divorce in the late 1990s, she went back to college at age 54 and earned a degree as a Medical Lab Technician. She worked in hospitals in Brighton and Fort Morgan, Colorado, until her retirement to Bradenton, FL. When it came time to move, she was delighted by the idea of driving a large scale moving truck halfway across the country. Which she did, without a hitch. She lived in Bradenton for nearly 20 years until her death on February 14, 2026 at age 85, walking and swimming daily and having a robust circle of friends.

She is survived by her younger brother Stanley Lockwood Harrison and sister-in-law Tina Aquino Harrison (Rancapollo); sister-in-law Judith Ann Harrison (Chandler); daughter Brenda Lyn (Nolan) Wid and son-in-law Carl Mark Wid; daughter Janice Lee Heath; as well as four grandsons: Michael Joseph Nolan and his wife Whitney; Travis Heath Nolan and his wife Melissa; Eric Layne Nolan; and Cory Bennett Arent. At the time of her death she also had eight Nolan great-grandchildren, listed from youngest to oldest: Genevieve, Grant, Wesley, Katelyn, Dakota, Richard, Madelyn, and Elijah.

Joan had a lifelong love of reading, enjoyed the sunshine, being active, volunteering and living life on her own terms. She was bright and fearless. As to facing the Great Unknown, perhaps her own words as a consummate New Yorker will be of some solace to those she leaves behind: “You live. You die. Get over it.”