Joanne Travers

1925 - 2021

Joanne Travers
September 23, 1925 - May 27, 2021
Citrus Heights, California - Joanne McKevitt Travers died of natural causes in Citrus Heights on May 27, 2021.
Joanne was born in San Francisco, California, on September 23, 1925, to Merle Weston McKevitt and Harold Walker McKevitt. She lived with her family in Berkeley and attended the University of California, Berkeley. In1946 she married her high school sweetheart, Sumter Lee Travers, and then traveled with him and their growing family to duty at East and West Coast naval stations over the next 21 years.
Following Lee's retirement from the Navy, the family moved to Upland, California, where Joanne completed a Bachelor's degree at Cal Poly, Pomona, and her Master's degree at Azusa Pacific University. She taught Special Education at the Ontario Pomona Association for Retarded Citizens (OPARC), was Director of Pasadena Day Nursery for several years, and then served as Director of United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire, until her retirement in 1990.
Joanne and Lee were adventurers who especially enjoyed international travel. They visited Australia, New Zealand, China, the USSR, Turkey, Egypt, and many European countries, in addition to spending time in England with Lee's Aunt Liz. In Upland, they hosted international visitors through Rotary and Upland's Sister City with Mildura, Australia.
After retirement, Joanne and Lee settled in Sutter Creek, California. Retirement gave Joanne the time to enjoy her avocations of collecting early California art, rare books, and antiques. Both were committed to community service and helped found the Amador Community Foundation and served on the Sutter Creek Library Board. Joanne especially enjoyed participating in the Sacramento Book Collectors Club. As they reached their 90s, they traded the pleasures of living on their 10 acres in the Sierra foothills for the convenience of an apartment in Sacramento.
Joanne was preceded in death by her husband of 74 years, Lee, and is survived by their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren: Lee Travers, Hung Chin Guthrie, Dianne Travers Gustafson and Mark Gustafson, Susan Travers and Stephen Chambers, and Stephen and Claudine Travers; grandchildren Sam Travers and Riane Harper, Jake Travers and Sophie Bones, Christopher Gustafson and Liz Van Wormer, Anneke Gustafson Thiel and Dennis Thiel, and Ian and Halley Craig; great-grandchildren Isla Craig; Will Travers Harper; Soren and Luca Gustafson; and Elodie, Desmond, Lorca and Felix Thiel. Joanne is remembered lovingly by family and friends as a kind and generous woman.