Joanne Mallory
Joanne Mallory
Joanne was born January 23, 1934, to Ruth and James Wright and raised in Dunkirk, NY. Being used to the cold and winds off Lake Erie, she never wore more than a jacket after she moved to DC in her twenties.
She had a long career in personnel management at the Central Intelligence Agency where she met the love of her life, W. Dean Mallory. They married and, in 1963, settled in at Berea Court in Dunn Loring where they adopted and raised both a son and a daughter and countless neighbors became life-long friends.
She cared for her mother until her death in 1977 and was by Dean’s side for many years as he battled diabetes, blindness and more until he passed in 1979.
Joanne moved forward as a single mother and provided a wonderful life for her kids, returned to the workplace, successfully battled cancer three times, got a new hip and a couple of new knees and eventually retired and moved to Manassas to be close to family. She never lost her love of life, feisty nature or sense of humor.
In addition to her husband, Dean, she is predeceased by her beloved brother, James (Jimmy).
Joanne loved travel, theater, a good Old Fashioned, a day at Hillwood, road trips home to Dunkirk, Fredonia and Jamestown, coffee with Donna, a slot machine when it was “hot”, her bridge ladies, Redskins, Buffalo Bills, NY Yankees, Andy Griffith, Neil Diamond and chicken paraphernalia of all sorts.
But she loved family more than anything – she was an amazing mother (and mother-in-law) to David Mallory (Dennis Coyle) and Sharon Mallory Leonard (Mark Leonard), grandmother to William Brown (Molly), Ryan Brown (Lara), and Mallory Leonard, and great grandmother to David and Henry Brown.
Per her wishes, Joanne was cremated under the loving care of Pierce Funeral Home and will be reunited with Dean at Fairfax Memorial Park on a future date with a Celebration of Life to follow.
She will be forever in our hearts.