Joanne Gorton
May 25, 1940 ~ August 24, 2020
Joanne M. (Miller) Gorton, 80, of Marion, Iowa, died on Monday, August 24, 2020, of natural causes. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 29, 2020, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids. Visitation: 4-7 p.m. on Friday, with a Rosary beginning at 4 p.m. at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids. Burial: Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waterloo.
The funeral mass will be livestreamed and also recorded for later viewing on Immaculate Conception Catholic Church's YouTube channel.
Joanne was born May 25, 1940, in Waterloo, Iowa, the daughter of Arnold L. and Leona F. (Bedard) Miller. She graduated from Dumont High School. Joanne worked for Wood Products in Waterloo for three years. On April 3, 1961, she married Thomas R. Gorton at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Waterloo. Joanne was a stay-at-home mom for 25 years, before going to work in 1987 for Congdon Printing in Cedar Falls, retiring in 2005.
She enjoyed volunteering at Irving Elementary School, PTA board member, CCD, and Cub Scout Den Mother. Joanne liked music, dancing and traveling. She was a dedicated wife and mother. Family and faith were her life.
Survivors include her husband, Tom; their children, Chris T. (Vicki) of Richland, WA; Steve A. (Doris) of Stevensville, MI; Laura J. (Andy) Humphrey of Atkins, and Tim J. (Rose) of Marion; grandchildren, Zach (Danielle) Gorton, Brandon (Alicia) Gorton, all of Richland; Michael and Jennifer Gorton of St Joseph, MI; Sethh and Jacob (Micheala) Humphrey of Atkins, Gabe (Laura) Humphrey of Cedar Rapids; Colin Gorton of Marion, Connor Gorton of Ames, Carson Gorton of Helena, MT, Andrew and Matthias Gorton of Marion; great grandchildren, Thomas and Abigail Gorton of Richland, WA, and Zoe and Eli Gorton of Richland, WA.
She is also survived by her brothers, Larry (Pat) Miller of LaPorte City, and Nick (Christine) Miller of Waterloo; sisters-in-law, Cheryl (Dale) Dutcher of WA, Joan (Jerry) Butler of NE, and Marie Gorton of Marion; brother-in-law, Bob (Susan) Gorton of Marion; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Joanne was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Nancy M. (Miller) Ehr; brother-in-law, Paul E. Gorton; nephew, Brian Gorton; parent-in-laws, Walter and Pauline (Klipping) Gorton.
Joanne will be in our prayers. And we know we will be in hers.
Memorials may be directed to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church or Birthright of Cedar Rapids.
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Wishing you peace to bring comfort, courage to face the days ahead and loving memories to forever hold in your hearts.
Our sympathy for the loss of such a great lady who loving allowed me into her family. Cherish the great memories. Michele and Vic Bienfang
Joanne never put herself first. It was always about her family’s needs and about a strong connection to her faith in God. A terrific example for all of us.
So loved, so admired. Dale and Cheryl
In memory of our dear sister and aunt Joanne. We love you! Nick & Chris; Ross, Tara, Aubrey & Kinsley; Carmen, Jeff, Gemma & Damien
The love of a mother/grandmother stays in our hearts forever. Wishing you peace & comfort during this difficult time. With warm thoughts & prayers,
Mom, I praise God for you and Dad. You were the best Mom I could have asked for and you proved your love for us each and every day. You showed us what a wife and Mom should be. I’m eternally grateful for all that you have done for me. I have confident hope that you are in a much better place and don’t want to come back. Hug Jesus and all of our loved ones for me! Miss you Mom.😔 But with joyful hope, look forward to being together again. 🙏❤️ Your loving son, always and forever, Steve
Wishing you peace to bring comfort, courage to face the days ahead and loving memories to forever hold in your hearts. We love you, Steve and Doris
Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to train all the way out to us last summer. So grateful you got to meet Zoe and Eli.
Tom: Our prayers are with you and wishes for your good health with your loss of Joanne. God speed.
From the time I was a preteen, I wanted to be like Joanne, who took time to talk with me and listened to me, unlike most others. My daughter’s recounted how she took time to play with them and talked with them, too. We had her memory deep in our hearts.
Joanne was one of my oldest and dearest friends reaching way back to our school days at Dumont school. Along with Evelyn and Bonnie we were in sports and did our best to help maintain the Division 1 ratings our school earned in years before us. We four went to movies together and rode around as far as fifty cents worth of gas would take us. Even after graduation we maintained our friendship and saw each other quite often. Our wedding days were just sixteen days apart the same year. Tom became a great friend as well, and we share his loss. Carolyn Haviland