JoAnne Nelson

JoAnne T. Nelson
Beloved Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Mother and Grandmother

Joanne T. Nelson 97, went forth to join her Heavenly Family on June 28, 2025. She passed away peacefully due to congestive heart failure.

JoAnne was born on October 7, 1927, in Lehi, Utah County, Utah, to Stanley Maurice Taylor and Beatrice Anderson Taylor. She married the love of her life and eternal companion, Marvin L. Nelson, Jr., on September 1, 1950, in the Logan Temple. Marvin and JoAnne were inseparable as companions. They served in many church positions, but both especially enjoyed serving together in the Scouting program. They touched the lives of many BSA scouts who earned their Eagle Awards because of their dedication.

Growing up she spent summers at her Uncle and Aunt Ivory's ranch which fostered her lifelong love of horses and horseback riding. Mom's teenage years were spent working the soda fountain in her Father's pharmacy, Lehi Drug. Following graduation from Lehi High School, she proudly attended the University of Utah (UofU) in Salt Lake City and was not only a proud Ute, she was an Alpha Phi sorority sister. It was while working as a social worker in Northern California, that she met her husband, Marvin, at a church event. Following their marriage, JoAnne moved as a newlywed to El Toro Air Base, California, where Marvin was stationed with the Marine Corps as an aircraft mechanic in WWII and the Korean War. Her first-born child was born at El Toro Air Base. Upon returning to Utah, they both attended the UofU then settled into their first home on Butler Hill, now known as Cottonwood Heights, and four more children followed. Needing additional living space, they moved to their Southwood home of 44 years in Murray, Utah.

JoAnne was an exceptional homemaker and gardener. She was well known for her amazing pies. Both of her homes had large, beautiful rose gardens and she spent many hours tending to the flower beds filled with daylilies, iris, cactus, poppies and many numerous other plants. Her children all share her love of daylilies and gardening. On the numerous family rock hounding trips, she supervised bringing home many, large decorative rocks to decorate her flower beds. She orchestrated many family excursions throughout Utah and the surrounding western states. Marvin and JoAnne were fortunate to take many trips stateside and abroad in their retirement years. They were delighted to be invited on many trips with their children and grandchildren.

Mom's greatest loves were her husband and family. She was always there for the family and willing to sacrifice her time for whatever was needed. She was an exceptional seamstress and sewed much of her own and her children's clothes. Having studied fashion design, the articles of clothing looked professional and were often ahead of the local fashion trends. After returning to work full-time, she stayed up many late nights sewing prom dresses, costumes and doing heirloom sewing for Grandchildren. Additionally, JoAnne was an accomplished, concert pianist and shared her musical talent with many. She was also a very talented painter and partnered with Marvin to add the finishing touches on his numerous, beautiful wood carvings. She was known as a crafter and taught many family and ward Relief Society members how to make chenille flower and resin grape arrangements, quilt, ceramics, sugar-scene Easter eggs, cake decorating, tole painting, as well as making many items for the annual church bazaar sale.

After her children were all in school full-time, JoAnne returned to work doing keypunch data input for Quality Oil and Goodyear Tire Company. She excelled at data entry, and soon became a self-taught, first-generation computer programmer during the era of large tape-drive computer systems. She was hired by Prowswood, Inc., the largest planned community real estate development company in Utah, to run their business data systems, as well as for the Utah Builders' Association. Her gift for coding often meant rewriting purchased software programs that she felt were in need of improvement. She kept the IBM computer system running 24-7, which also meant she was on-call to run into the office, at all hours of the night, to troubleshoot problems. JoAnne was a dedicated Prowswood employee for 22 years, retiring in 1992.

Mom, you will be greatly missed as the matriarch of the family, but we look forward to seeing you again. We love and appreciate you so much. We will carry on many of your wonderful traditions.

JoAnne is survived by children Blair (Linda) Nelson, Jared (Karen) Nelson, Eric (Susan) Nelson, Andrea (Brian) Perschon, 15 grandchildren, 38 great granchildren, 1 great-great grandchild, sister, Sandra Shepard, and many nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by her husband, daughter Christine (Dennis Sykes), parents, brother Maurice and sister Michel Crandall.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 12, at 11:00 AM, at the Little Cottonwood Stake Center, 6180 South 850 East, Murray, Utah 84107. There will be a viewing, where friends and family may visit, at 10:00 AM-10:45 AM prior to the funeral services. Interment will be at Memorial Mountain View Cemetery, 3115 Bengal Blvd, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121.

A special 'Thank You' to all the wonderful, dedicated and loving staff who provided attentive care daily for our dear Mother at Legacy Memory Care in Taylorsville. Additionally, the family expresses much gratitude for the caring medical services of Trenaisa Nay, GNP, of House Call Doctors, and Renew Hospice nurse Jaycee Eldredge and their support staffs.