Obituary of Joan Alberta Jennings

On September 11, 2016 Joan Alberta (Morrow) Jennings lost a long fought battle with lung disease. Joan was born on January 2, 1936 in Edmonton, Alberta to Albert and Andrea Morrow. The family moved to Canistota, SD in 1939 when Joan was 3. She graduated from Canistota High School in 1954. Joan began her career at the Veterans Administration in 1955 as a clerk, in Aberdeen, SD for a short time before transferring to Sioux Falls, SD. In 1956 she married Francis Eugene Jennings and they had two daughters, Michelle Andrea Donaldson (Lisa Austin) and Suzanne Helen Freeman (Brent Freeman). Joan is survived by two granddaughters, Tara Amber Umphries and Megan Lee Donaldson, a brother Roger Morrow (Rose Mary) and a sister Doris Bergen (Lowell). In 1969 the Jennings family moved to Auburn, WA where Joan continued her career at the Seattle Veterans Administration. Joan and Francis moved to Honolulu, HI in 1986 where she worked as a Section Chief until her retirement in 1991. As always, they returned to Federal Way, WA to be near family. She was widowed in 1996 after almost 40 years of marriage. In retirement, Joan spent many hours volunteering for the USO. Her interests included walking daily with the Commons Mall walkers. Joan was an avid traveler and loved nothing better than entertaining friends and family with delicious meals and fun. People who knew Joan, when asked to describe her, would say “she was the most giving person they knew”. We would like to thank all of our family and friends who tirelessly assisted with Joan’s care at the end of her life! Many thanks go out to Group Health Hospice who were there to guide us through this final journey with our mom. In lieu of flowers please send memorial donations to the USO https://www.uso.org/donate.