JoAnn Boyer

JoAnn Boyer also known as "the pink lady" died on April 4, 2019. It was her 95th birthday. JoAnn was predeceased by the love of her life, Donald Boyer, who died on March 21, 2019.
There will be a memorial service for Donald and JoAnn at 3 p.m. on April 13th at Saint John's Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Donald and JoAnn will be interred at St. James Episcopal Church in Montross, Virginia. A memorial service will be held at St James at 11am on July 13, 2019.
JoAnn was a devoted wife throughout her 38 years of marriage to Donald. It is no surprise to her family that JoAnn rallied her strength despite her own failing health to be with Donald and support him to the end. Over the two weeks since Donald's passing she graciously allowed her family time to shower her with love and to celebrate her life culminating in the gift of wishing her a happy 95th birthday. We do believe she was welcomed to heaven with a big birthday kiss from her beloved Donald.
JoAnn was born in Columbus, Ohio and raised in Washington DC. She was married to her first husband, William "Big Buddy" Parks from 1943 until his death in 1978. She raised her two sons on the California coast. JoAnn was so proud of her boys. Drew married and stayed on the west coast building a successful business with his wife, Aya. Buddy settled near his mother in Montross. Being close by, he was always available to fix something, paint a room or lend an ear. JoAnn's sons were artists and her home included furniture and paintings created by them. In her later years, JoAnn looked forward to daily calls and visits from Buddy.
Besides her lifelong job as mom, JoAnn held a number of interesting jobs. She worked as a model for print ads showing off the latest fashions. Never one to suffer fools she was also known to be the original Mother Nature, and her children knew that "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" JoAnn had a long stint in banking and one of her favorite memories was when her boys had her car painted pink and drove it up to the bank window to surprise her. JoAnn's favorite job by far was being the head tour guide at Stratford Hall.
JoAnn had an unwavering love for the color pink. Her children always remember her wearing pink from head to toe and no pictures could be found of a period that did not involve JoAnn in her favorite color. JoAnn was an expert seamstress and sewed many of her own pink hewed clothes. She also created period costumes for the tour guides at Stratford Hall. Her daughter, Landya, had the great pleasure to walk down the aisle in a one of a kind wedding dress designed by JoAnn.
JoAnn enjoyed hosting parties at her Montross home which was affectionately dubbed Ivy Hall. Many of her parties were open houses after a performance of the St. James Festival Choir. JoAnn was a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Montross for over 35 years.
JoAnn enjoyed traveling with husband and their close friend, Marilyn Harvey. There were trips to NYC, Europe, California, and Canada. JoAnn and Donald spent many happy summers at the Chautauqua Institute.
She was predeceased by her parents, Harry and Lois; her siblings, Harry and Jean, and her son, Drew.
JoAnn is survived by her son, William "Buddy" Parks and her daughter-in-law, Aya Parks. She leaves her children through marriage, Landya McCafferty and her husband, Patrick; Arienne Boyer and her husband, Clyde; and Galen Boyer and his wife, Susan; her grandchildren, Jacqueline, Maureen, Ashley, Deirdre, Nolan and Claire; her nephews, Tim McAfee and his wife, Carol, and Steve McAfee and his wife, Mary Anne. JoAnn will also be deeply missed by nephews, Robert and Doug Householder and their wives, Heather and Jacqueline and her grand-nephews, Jack and Clint.