Joanna Rene Risser Hunter

Joanna Rene Risser Hunter was born in El Dorado, Arkansas on February 26, 1952 to Helen Bervia Munn Risser and Robert Richard Risser. As a child she adored being a member of Camp Fire Girls, and she found her love and appreciation for nature and play, which she carried with her throughout her life. She often spoke of the joy and laughter she shared with her sister Lynn Kathryn Risser and their treasured friend Patrick McKinney, exploring nature, creating games, and putting on shows.

As a child, teen, and young woman, Joanna was active in El Dorado's South Arkansas Arts Center participating in many productions as an actor, director, and stage manager. After graduating from El Dorado High School in 1970, she "tried out" many Southern colleges and spent a semester at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana before settling in for her undergraduate studies at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Post bachelor's degree, Joanna returned to El Dorado for a few years, teaching school and continuing her work with the arts center. Then it was on to Athens to study at the University of Georgia, where she met her future husband and the father of her children, Conway "Chip" Walter Hunter III.

After each completing their master's in theatre and marrying in 1980, Joanna and Chip traveled the U.S. with the Long Wharf Theatre touring company and worked at Center Stage theater in Baltimore, Maryland. Next, they moved to New Orleans where Joanna worked at the New Orleans Ballet Theatre and fell in love with the city and its annual Mardi Gras. In 1984, Joanna became a mother with the birth of the couple's first daughter, Bonnie Kathryn Hunter.

In 1986, the young family moved to St. Simons Island, Georgia and were welcomed to the Golden Isles by Joanna's mother- and father-in-law, Charlotte Anne Holbrook Hunter and Dr. Conway Walter Hunter Jr. Three years later the Hunter's celebrated the arrival of their second daughter, Ivy Claire Hunter. During this period on the coast, Joanna continued to express and explore her artistic abilities. She worked for the Harbor Sound, performed with the Island Players, and designed window displays for Altman's department store. She also threw unforgettable Halloween parties to mark her favorite holiday.

In 1994, Joanna was called back to her roots to raise her girls in De Queen, Arkansas where her father grew up. She taught for a short time at Cossatot Community College, before taking on one of the greatest roles of her life as "Miss Joanna" of De Queen Dance Academy. As a dance teacher and studio owner, she and her artistic vision shined alongside her love for encouraging children, and adults, to explore the magic of art, life, expression, movement, and power of dressing up, on and off the stage. She was also a yoga teacher and a member of the First Presbyterian Church, which her father attended in his youth.

In 2005, Joanna was overjoyed by the birth of her first grandchild Xavier Risser Hunter O'Neill. She delighted in being able to help raise Xavier, encouraging him in play and life, teaching him to read at an early age, and reminding him often to, "Be sweet and smart." This endeavor led her back to Coastal Georgia, which she loved for its alluring beauty. She was also endlessly interested in and inspired by the area's deep and sorted history.

Jo, as she was known by many who knew and loved her, was an artist and writer who felt most at home in nature and more specifically on the banks of the Cossatot River of Southwest Arkansas in her family cabin. This is where she spent the majority of the last years of her life, while also traveling to spend time with her many friends, her beloved daughters and grandson, and her soon to be son-in-law Benjamin Matthew Weiner.

Truly and completely one of a kind, Jo was beautifully, wonderfully wild. She lived her life as an art project, and her bright spirit was not to be repressed by the conventional. She loved art, fashion, movies, literature, history, and music. But more than anything, she loved Bonnie, Ivy, and Xavier. She believed in equality, inclusivity, environmental preservation, and social justice.

"Never regret spending money on makeup or clothes...because it's art." Joanna Hunter

On Thursday, November 2, 2023 Joanna transcended the earthly realm. Her daughters held her hands as she passed peacefully under the rising moon at 7:20 p.m. in the Cherrydale area of Arlington, Virginia. She was seventy-one.

After a service on St. Simons Island and one in El Dorado, her ashes will be scattered from the sacred banks of the Cossatot River.

In lieu of flowers, her daughters request donations be made to the Sierra Club at sierraclub.org.

Memorial Service
Saturday, February 24th
11:00 am
First Presbyterian Church
El Dorado, Arkansas

Reception to follow.