Friday, April 19, 2024
Joan Elaine Severinghaus, age 88, resident of Edmonds, passed away on Sunday, April 17, 2022.
She was born to Harvey and Florence Ward in Port Isabel, Texas, on Nov. 23, 1933. She was a 1951 graduate of Joliet High School in Illinois. She moved briefly to California before heading north and put down roots in the Seattle area, where she resided for the rest of her life.
Her greatest joy was her six children, 19 grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren, and was tireless in giving her time and attention to each of them. In the 1960s she was very involved in the Wade James Theater and enjoyed the camaraderie she shared with her fellow thespians.
She promoted environmental conservation and equality for all through activism and was quick to speak up for the less fortunate. She had a love for classical music and has passed on her appreciation for simple, beautiful things to the next generations.
She had an innate spirit of adventure, often traveling across the country by car or visiting her sister in Australia. She had a love for nature, and spent endless hours outdoors creating beautiful gardens around her country home.
She loved cooking and baking, and was known especially for her mile-high lemon meringue pie. She passed on her skills and creativity in the kitchen to her children and grandchildren, and spent endless hours patiently teaching and caring for each child.
Later in life she spent much of her free time writing, and was proud to have her poems published. Some of her hobbies included knitting, sewing, swimming, gardening, cooking, and crosswords, as well as being an avid reader.
Preceded in death by her parents, Harvey and Florence, her brother Lee, her son Michael, and grandson Carson. Survived by her daughters Cynthia, Sheila, Anna, Julia, and Amelia, and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In the last days of her life she was surrounded by her loving family, who are so grateful to the staff at Prestige Rehab Facility in Edmonds for their exceptional care and compassion in the last years of her life.
A private family celebration of life will be held later this summer.
