Joanne Louise Weiherer

Joanne Louise Weiherer Spruance

1941-2025

Sandy, UT-

Joanne Louise Weiherer Spruance, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 3rd, after a ten-year battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

Joanne was born on April 7, 1941 in Reading, Pennsylvania, to Florence and Leonard Weiherer. She attended Reading High School and obtained a Registered Nurse degree from The Reading Hospital in 1963. Heading to the "big city", she was a nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City from 1963-1968. Her smarts, dedication and compassion for the patients led to her promotion to Head Nurse on the surgical service.

Joanne met Spotswood (Woody) Spruance while working at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and they married on May 25, 1967. They moved to Salt Lake City in 1968. They spent their first night in town in a motel on 1800 S Main Street – only to be evacuated at 2:00 am when the bakery next door burned down! They were then lucky enough to find a 100 year-old farmhouse in Holladay, Utah, which served as home for three years. Joanne took a job as an RN at LDS Hospital and subsequently in the burn unit at the University of Utah Medical Center. They moved to Arlington Drive in 1971 where they raised their children, made lifelong friends, and countless memories.

Joanne was as sweet and caring a lady as you can imagine, and was a "salt of the earth" person: extremely hard-working, humble, honest and reliable. She was the consummate host and was never late. She was a skier, fisher, backpacker, and swimmer. She loved spending her time rollerblading around Liberty Park or sitting by the pool. She loved dancing, and if she couldn't find a partner, she grabbed the nearest doorknob to fill in. A voracious reader, Joanne's library of novels contained over a thousand volumes. She was particularly fond of Vladimir Nabokov and John Updike, and had copies of all their books (Updike was from Joanne's hometown). After taking a break from nursing to raise children, Joanne decided to continue her education and her passion with a BA degree in English from the University of Utah, which she finished in 1988. Joanne played the piano and could sight-read any music put in front of her from "Flight of the Bumblebee" to jazz standards. To remember her favorite music, listen to "Blossom Dearie" and have a glass of wine. Her animals meant the world to her, especially her Bernese, Daisy, and her Golden Retriever, Abby.

Joanne was also an active community volunteer, and served a three-year stint as an ICS Volunteer in the Utah 2nd District Juvenile Court from 1972-1975 mediating the resolution of minor offenses by juveniles. Subsequently, she joined the Assistance League of Salt Lake City and worked with Operation School Bell, a signature program of the League that provides clothing to needy children. She also served on their Board of Directors as Philanthropic Program Vice President. Joanne greatly enjoyed her time with the League, both for the friendships with other volunteers and the happiness her work brought to underprivileged children.

Joanne is survived by her husband, Woody; her daughter, Catherine (Carrie) and son-in-law Timothy Kryselmire; her son, Peter, and daughter-in-law Michel Eubank Spruance; five grandchildren - Leo, Anne and Charles (Pi) Kryselmire, and Belle and Betsy Spruance; her sister, Nancy Walker and her brother, Douglas Weiherer and sister-in-law Sharon Weiherer, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother-in-law, Barry Walker.

A celebration of Joanne's life for family and friends will be held on Saturday, November 8th, from 5-8 pm at Stark's Funeral Parlor 3651 South 900 East in Salt Lake City.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests a donation to the Alzheimer's Association.