Obituary of Jo An (Joan) Lawson

Joan Lawson, loving wife, sister, mother and grandmother passed away on Sunday, February 5, 2012 at the age of 85 in Sandpoint, Idaho. A private family service and burial will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at the Little Star Cemetery at Kelly, Louisiana, where Joan will join her husband, Melder E. Lawson. Visitation will be at the cemetery from 12:30 pm until time of service Saturday. Jo An (Joan) was born on June 29, 1926 in Wishart, MO to Willard (Button) and Phyllis Miller. Raised in rural Missouri, Joan found the love of her life when she met and later married a young sailor from Louisiana. Her husband, Mel (many fondly called him Gene), served his country in the U.S. Navy during WW II, the Korean conflict and the Cold War. Mel was often away from home, leaving Joan to raise their four children on her own. She was a brave, intelligent, strong-willed woman who never failed at anything she attempted in life. Joan had a sense of adventure and loved to travel. As the wife of a career Navy man she had ample opportunities to travel. With her young children in tow she traveled and made a home for her family in Guam, Hawaii, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington state, Missouri, and Northern California. After the death of Melder in 1986, Joan moved to Nevada and later settled in Sandpoint, Idaho. Joan never lost her sense of adventure, faith in independent thought and action, nor waivered in her love of family and friends. All who knew and loved her will miss her. Joan is survived by her two sons Alan (Charlie) Lawson of Mexico and Michael Lawson of Winslow, AZ; daughter Susan Munson of Middletown, CA; granddaughter Tamara Bertacchi of Santa Rosa, CA; grandson James Lawson; and great-grand daughter Chianne Bertacchi. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, and son Jim. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in Joan and Mel's name to the Little Star Cemetery, care of Riser Funeral Home, P.O. Box 57, Columbia Louisiana. Online registry/condolences: riserfuneralhomes.com Riser Funeral Homes Columbia, Louisiana