Joanne Agnes Ross

Joanne A. Ross was born on April 1, 1934. Her parents John and Japke (Cora) De Young immigrated from the Netherlands in 1920 with her grandparents and other family members. Joanne's parents moved to North Hollywood and became poultry farmers. Joanne's father passed away in 1951 from heart valve failure. Joanne married Lutin (Pete) Ross on June 21,1957 and they were married for over 67 years. They lived in the same house in Sun Valley that they built in 1967. Joanne is survived by Lutin (Pete) Ross who was a carpenter & contractor and a military veteran.

As a teenager, Joanne took care of her mother who got very sick after having a stroke and passed away two months after she was married to Pete. Joanne took in her three brothers, John age 17, Marv age 13 and Larry age 11 to live with her and Pete. Her oldest brother Burton was already married at that time. Joanne had a miscarriage and found out she couldn't bear children, so they adopted a boy who was later taken back by his mother when she changed her mind.

After that, Pete and Joanne adopted Karen, Daryl, Lori and Randy, all four of whom passed away at an early age. Joanne also raised her granddaughter Hanna (Randy's daughter) and loved being a great grandmother to John and Hanna's children Grace and Oliver. Joanne was also a loving caregiver to three other elderly people in her life. Despite all her hardships, she never complained and always persevered and stayed strong through her faith in Christ.

Joanne graduated with an Education degree from UCLA and was a school teacher for nearly sixty years. She started working at Arminta Elementary School in 1958, followed by Arcadia Christian School and then taught 5th grade at Village Christian School in Sun Valley, CA until she retired in 2016. Even after retiring Joanne still subbed occasionally at Village. Joanne taught her brother Larry in sixth grade and also taught three of her cousins Margie, Cathy and Bernice and brought them to school.

In 1958, Joanne was nominated by her peers for a Teacher Queen contest in a feature of the NBC television show hosted by Jack Bailey, "Queen for a Day." Joanne received the most amount of applause from the audience and overwhelmingly won. Besides the grand prize of a 50-day cruise of the Orient, she received many well-deserved gifts. Joanne always thought of others before herself. When asked what prizes she would like, she mentioned a small tractor, a set of mechanics tools and a trampoline for her brothers which she was awarded.

From the age of 17, Joanne played the piano and organ at Bethel Christian Reformed Church until she could no longer due to arthritis in her hands. She loved gardening, reading and traveling. She and Pete took Larry camping when he was a teenager to Yellowstone and Canada. One morning they went to look at Old Faithful and when they got back they found their tent collapsed by a bear. They went camping with their children as well. Joanne traveled to Holland with Pete, she took a Caribbean Cruise with family and friends, traveled to Italy with family, visited several places with her granddaughter Hanna, and made many field trips to Washington D.C. with her students while teaching at Village.

On April 25, 2025, at the age of 91, Joanne was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She went to be with her Lord and Savior on May 19, 2025 listening to her beloved hymns with her caregiver Elizabeth Valladares by her side. She was dearly loved by all who met her including neighbors, students and their parents and she will be greatly missed. Despite the many trials and tribulations that Joanne suffered through her life, she always had a smile on her face and was quick to offer a helping hand. Her legacy will be the friends, family & neighbors who she cared for throughout her life. God bless, Joanne Ross.