Joanne Lucille Lee

1931 - 2025

Our beloved Mother, Gramma, and friend, Joanne Lucille Lee (Gordon), passed away peacefully on August 14, 2025 at the age of 94. Joanne was born in Seattle, WA on May 12, 1931, the youngest child of Charles and Marjorie Gordon. She grew up in the Ravenna neighborhood with two older brothers, and later graduated from Roosevelt High School, where she first met the love of her life and future husband, Raymond J. Lee.

At a young age, Joanne started dance lessons and practiced and performed several styles in her early years which led to a life long enjoyment of dancing. After high school, she graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Dental Hygiene, and worked mostly part time as a Dental Hygienist until she reached retirement age. At the UW, she was also a proud member and active in the Delta Gamma sorority. Joanne and Ray married shortly after college graduation, the beginning of a 72 year love affair that ended in April this year when Ray passed away. They raised three children, first in the Wedgewood and View Ridge neighborhoods, and later moving to Innis Arden in Shoreline, where they happily spent 30 years.

During their time in Innis Arden, Joanne was an active swim team, baseball and football mom, shuttling kids back and forth to practices, games, and meets. She also loved summer hikes with friends, the weekly ski bus during the winter, and was an avid reader of mystery novels. Joanne was huge fan of the Seattle Mariners, and the UW Husky Softball Teams. She also loved the Seattle Seahawks and the UW Husky Football Teams, and they had season tickets for many years. Joanne and Ray both loved sitting on the deck in the warm evenings , visiting, and enjoying the cocktail hour.

Early in their retirement, Joanne and Ray sold the house and bought their first RV. It became their way of life for 20 years, traveling across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. With kids and grand kids in Texas, Utah, and Ohio, they were always on the go, but still liked to spend summers in the Seattle area, and wintered in Indio, CA for many years as well. The RV lifestyle brought them both great joy in life. Joanne would always relish finding a campground that offered line dancing. Along the way they also owned homes in Columbus, OH, Sisters, OR, and Everett, WA where they would finally settle in their post-RV life.

Joanne the person was warm and nurturing, had a great sense of humor, smile and laugh. She was a self-professed shy person as a child and young adult who finally came out of her shell after marrying Ray, who was the opposite. She was fun to be around and could take a good teasing from her kids and grand kids, and then dish it back. Joanne and Ray had a great circle of friends from high school, college days and beyond. They vacationed together and had many potluck dinners. She had a great life and we know she is happy again, back in the arms of Ray.

Joanne was preceded in death by her husband Ray, her parents, and her brothers Dave and Jim. She is survived by her sons Kirk (Patty), Peter (Christi); daughter Joni (Paul); granddaughters Jessica, Lyndsey, Megan (Collin), Jenny, Sammy, Arika; step-grandsons Jeremy (Candace), Jacob (Leslie); 6 great grandchildren; and their beloved dog Annie. A Celebration of Joanne's Life will be planned at a later date. Please consider donations in her name to Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Sisters, OR.