Mary Joanne Ware, age 86, passed away Saturday, August 18, 2007. Joanne was born on March 14, 1921 to Edwin and Marjorie Watson in Elkhart, Indiana. She attended and graduated from Elkhart Public School and Indiana University while living there. While at Indiana University, where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi, she studied speech and drama. Joanne was active in the Civic Theater from childhood on. She was a member of “C.A.T.S” while living in North Carolina. During the integration process in the early 1960’s, she became the first Caucasian employee to have a radio show at an African American station in Atlanta, Georgia. She participated in integration in Grady Hospital Riot’s Team Rooms and in the Heart of Atlanta Hotel. She credits her luncheon with Martin Luther King Jr. as a great life experience. In Greenwich Village in New York, Jim was working with McCann Erickson as the Vice President account director with Coca Cola. Both Joanne and Jim had a great time as they traveled a lot. While the Wares were in the West Chester County, Joanne worked at Franklin D. Roosevelt Veterans Hospital with veterans who were mentally ill. After moving to Cleveland, she worked at Cleveland Psychiatric City Hospital. Back in New York again, Joanne started working with young drug abusers who lived near her church, St. Mark’s. After another move to Grand Rapids, Michigan, Joanne was hired by Project Rehab, a large drug agency. She later became the director of education for Kent County working in public and private schools. She educated teachers and students with drug information and rehabilitation. The best of her career was in Florida with the Christian Service Center and as Public Relations direction for the Orlando area Meals on Wheels. Upon moving to the Brevard area, Joanne concentrated more of her time to St. Philip’s Episcopal Church as a lector lay reader, as the President of ECW, and served on the Vestry. Joanne leaves her husband, James after 54 years of marriage; her daughter, Susan and son-in-law, Ben Emdin of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and grandchildren, Dave, Jamie (Sylvia) Emdin, Jae Emdin and Sarah (Tom) Cannon. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 317 E. Main, Brevard, North Carolina 28712.

Source:  Grand Rapids Press, The (MI) – Tuesday, August 21, 2007