Joanne Isabelle (Aughanbaugh) Blair passed away peacefully on July 17, 2019, in Glen Carbon, Illinois.   Her younger son, Doug, and his wife, Sherry, were at her bedside, holding her hand as she began her journey to Heaven.  Joanne was 88 years old.  Born in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, she was the oldest of four daughters raised by John and Isabelle Aughanbaugh.  Joanne graduated in 1949 from Quincy High School in Quincy, Pennsylvania, after which she received a nursing diploma from York Hospital in Pennsylvania, becoming a licensed RN in 1952.  The following year, Joanne married the love of her life, John "Jack" Metcalfe Blair, Sr. of Quincy, Pennsylvania.  Jack was a career Army officer and the two relocated numerous times over the years until his retirement in 1974, at which point they made Anchorage, Alaska their home.  In 2011, Joanne and Jack relocated to Glen Carbon, Illinois due to their declining health and to be closer to Doug and his family.

Joanne enjoyed many crafts and other activities over the years, including pottery, cooking, gardening, and braiding handmade rugs.  She also found time to complete her formal education by earning a BSN from the University of Alaska, Anchorage in 1977.  But Joanne was truly a selfless person, always putting her family above her own interests.  She took great pride in supporting her husband in his several careers, as well as her two sons' own educational and career aspirations.  To Joanne, this pursuit was her defining characteristic, and one that made her a genuinely admirable wife and mother.

Joanne will always be remembered as a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother.  Her family takes solace in knowing that she will spend the rest of eternity reunited with her soulmate and lifelong companion – the one individual whom she could not bear to live without – her husband Jack.  Somewhere beyond the pearly gates, Joanne's family knows that she is once again able to take control of Jack's personal affairs and remind him of every mistake he ever made – something Jack always knew she would continue in the afterlife.

Joanne is survived by her three younger sisters (June Mellinger, Jean Motter, and Janet Schemine); her two sons (John, Jr./wife Chiara and Doug/wife Sherry); and grandchildren (John:  Patrick, Scott, Ian, Carys, Cailyn, and Jaeger; Doug:  Jack and Natalie).

Joanne will be buried beside Jack in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, Joanne's family asks that donations simply be made to a charity of one's choice in her honor.