Alta JoAnn Urcaregui

1945 - 2023

Alta JoAnn Urcaregui
October 6, 1945 - May 26, 2023
Emmett, Idaho - Alta JoAnn Urcaregui, 77, passed away on May 26, 2023, in Emmett, Idaho. She was born October 6, 1945, in Ontario, Oregon, to Joe and Florence Guerricagoitia and grew up in Vale, Oregon. During her time at Vale Union High School, JoAnn was active in the glee and pep clubs and participated in beauty pageants. After graduating high school, she went to cosmetology school and pursued a successful career as a hair stylist and small business owner. She owned her own beauty salon in Vale, where she was a local favorite. In fact, an adoring client published a poem in JoAnn's honor in the local newspaper!
JoAnn met her husband and soulmate, Angel Urcaregui, at a Basque picnic in 1972. After many years of friendship, they wed in 1985. JoAnn sold her business and moved to Emmett, Idaho, to start a family. JoAnn and Angel raised two daughters, Carmen and Maite. In their early days, JoAnn and Angel enjoyed traveling to Basque festivals, hosting dinners for family and friends, and spending time with their daughters. As they grew older, they enjoyed taking walks and drives together, frequenting local restaurants, and spending time with their grandchildren.
JoAnn was passionate about supporting Carmen's and Maite's education and extracurricular activities. She volunteered in their classrooms and at the Brick Elementary library in addition to helping them with their 4-H and Girl Scouts projects and dance events. After years of volunteering in the classroom, JoAnn began her second career as a paraeducator. During that time, she assisted in classrooms throughout the Emmett School District. Much of her time was devoted to special education, and she even learned to teach Braille to low-vision students. JoAnn retired from teaching in 2010 and enjoyed keeping up with her friends and former colleagues at the monthly luncheons for retired teachers.
In her retirement, JoAnn was an avid reader and enjoyed puzzles, which she liked to pass onto her grandchildren so they could share in that hobby. She was also an active member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and found friendship and spiritual support from many of the women she met there, especially those with whom she was in a rosary group.
JoAnn is preceded in death by her husband, Angel Urcaregui; her parents, Joe and Florence Guerricagoitia; and her siblings, Kathy Nelson and Edwin Guerricagoitia. She is survived by her daughters, Carmen and Maite; her son-in-law, Keith Adams; three grandchildren, Riley, Austin, and Amaia; and several nieces and nephews.
A rosary service will be held Friday, June 2, 2023, at 10:30 A.M. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Emmett immediately preceding the funeral mass at 11:00 A.M.
The family requests that any memorial contributions be made to the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, 611 West Grove Street, Boise, Idaho 83702. https://basquemuseum.eus/support/memorials/
Arrangements are under the care of the Potter Funeral Chapel in Emmett.