Joanne M. Barrand

On June 21, 2020, Joanne left this earthly home and was finally free from the pain, suffering and grips of dementia, at the age of 84.  We are certain she was welcomed into the waiting arms of her Lord and Savior along with Granny, Grandpa and her sister.  We will miss her every day, but she is restored to a new healthy, heavenly body.

Joanne was born February 21, 1936 in Woodlawn, Kansas, the daughter of Davie Ray and Johanna Dorthea Lewis.  She spent most of her early years living on a farm west of Wetmore, Kansas.  Since she did not have a brother, she helped out her daddy with a lot of the chores around the farm.

She met the love of her life in that tiny community and married Eugene A. Barrand on November 1, 1954. After their marriage the happy couple went to San Clemente, CA where Gene was stationed at Camp Pendleton’s Marine Corp Base. They lived there for two years before moving back to Topeka, Kansas. They lived in several homes before settling in their current home.

Joanne worked at a variety of jobs but the one she loved the most was babysitting her grandkids while their parents worked.  She said, “If those babies are going to a sitter while you kids work, it’s going to be at my house.”  The grandkids loved being dropped off in the mornings where she had hot tea with milk and sugar and pancakes waiting, along with a bed made up on the floor and cartoons.

She had many hobbies.  She was an excellent seamstress and made all of our clothes by hand and later made them with her new sewing machine. She had her own little business making silk flowers, loved to garden and care for her flower beds, played the piano and accordion, played basketball in high school, pitched for the North Topeka Baptist girls slow pitch softball team and kept score for more softball games than you can count.

She loved her holidays!  She loved Halloween and having all the kids come to the house dressed up.  She would go to garage sales and buy small stuffed animals, take them home, remove the stuffing, wash them real good, re-stuff them and hand them out to the little kids.  Every Halloween she would make her “Halloween Stew” which was a vegetable soup which was delicious!  She always had the best turkey on Thanksgiving along with a multitude of pies, usually cherry and pumpkin.  But by far, her favorite was Christmas!  She would just glow, and Christmas was always special. First, before all of the presents, we would read the Christmas story of Jesus’ birth.

She was a Christian woman who loved God, her family, reading the Bible, praying to our Lord and giving it all to Him.  She was a member of North Topeka Baptist Church where she was a youth leader, Sunday school teacher, Deaconess and helped with North Topeka Outreach.

She is survived by her husband of over 65 years, Gene Barrand; three children, Johanna Terry (Joe), Rodney Barrand (Loretta) and Jackie Bolen;  five grandchildren, Jeremy Barrand (Julie), Brandi Adams (Jared), Jessica Thomas (Jeremy), James Terry, Tanner Barrand (Devin); seven great grandchildren, Natalie Barrand, Carter and Caitlin Adams, Memphis Thomas, McCoy, Shiloh and Georgia Terry.

Joanne was preceded in death by her parents, Davie Ray and Johanna Dorthea Lewis and her sister, Winona Boyd.

She will be missed but never forgotten by all who knew her.  She never met a stranger and considered our friends her kids and loved them all.  We are heartbroken but know we will meet again when we see each other in heaven.

Graveside services will be held at 6:00 pm on Friday, July 24, 2020 at Prairie Home Cemetery.  The family has requested social distancing and wearing of masks at her service be practiced because of Mr. Barrand who had a recent stay in the hospital.

Memorial contributions may be made to North Topeka Baptist Church, P.O. Box 8183, Topeka, Kansas 66608.