JoAnne was born Aug. 18, 1947 in Miami, Arizona, the daughter of the late Tony and Dorothy Chapman Marich of Globe, Arizona. She died April 23, 2023 in Conway, Arkansas. She is survived by her spouse of 48 years, Charlotte Taylor, Conway, Arkansas, sister Toni Wantland, Globe, Arizona, niece Lori Wantland, and nephews Kenny and Joseph Wantland.
She graduated from Miami School in 1965, and after graduation attended Arizona State University. She served in the US Marine Corps. She moved to Houston, Texas in 1970 and had a successful business with a large corporation as president and general manager. After retiring from there, in 1990 she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Houston with a bachelor of science in Education. She then taught schools in Houston, San Antonio and when she started teaching in Dripping Springs, Texas they moved to their land, “Terra Bitha,” in Blanco County, Texas. She received many awards for “Outstanding Teacher.” After retiring they continued to live at “Terra Bitha,” then moved to Conway, Arkansas in 2015. The Texas Hill Country was the principal setting of her first novel “Strongest Bonds, Broken Fences,” a historical fiction. JoAnne passed away before finishing her sequel. We will miss her love of knowledge and her humor and audacity.
