December 8, 1952 ~ November 22, 2017
Joanne Marie Kortan of Gardnerville, NV passed away November 22, 2017.
The first child of Joseph and Ann Kendrick, she was born and raised in Sacramento, attended Bishop Manogue High School and graduated from Bella Vista High School when the family moved to Fair Oaks. She lived briefly in the San Francisco Bay Area, but it was back in Sacramento she met and married her husband Bob. They moved to the Carson Valley 35 years ago.
She had a big heart that loved many things: shopping at a good sale, cross-country skiing if it was followed up with a hot tub, live music, and regardless the game, the stakes, or the opponent, she loved to win. Her favorite
temperatures ranged from 75 to 78 and if wasn’t warm enough to wear cute shorts and show off a pedicure, she was never far from a cozy warm blanket. But above all else, and without measure, she loved her husband. Together they built a life with a great circle of friends filled with fun, laughter, travel, and adventures. From snowmobiling to Spring Training, hiking to golf, camping at the ocean or in wine country, day trips around Lake Tahoe to road trips around the
United States, they were as devoted to each other on their 40th anniversary as they were on their wedding day.
To meet Joanne was to meet a beautiful woman with a warm heart and gentle spirit. To know Joanne was to know a woman with fierce determination and unwavering will. She was afraid of heights, confined spaces, and the unknown. But she was never, for one minute, afraid of cancer. She faced down her cancer diagnosis and every day for twelve years fought with valor and courage seldom seen in mere mortals.
It was an honor to know her, and a privilege to be loved by her, and we will never the same without her.
She is survived by her husband Bob; her stepson Mikel and a large circle of friends and family.
A gathering to celebrate Joanne will be held Saturday, December 2nd, from 1 to 4pm at the Kortan home.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation, in her name, to a local charity of your choice.
