I met Joanna sophomore year through French class, but became friends with her behind the Saturday morning wheel of the driver's ed car. She was one of my dearest friends through high school, college, and beyond. We created the US Weekly bookclub with a bunch of our teacher friends and managed to get together monthly to talk about everything but our jobs. She was a wonderful elementary teacher and reading specialist, but an even more devoted mother and wife. She was diagnosed with lymphoma on her son, Brandon's, 3rd birthday, August 29, 2011. She fought hard, but ultimately lost her battle on July 31, 2012.