JoAnn Adams

JoAnn Elizabeth Shepherd Adams of Lindon, Utah passed away peacefully after suffering a stroke in the early morning hours Sunday, December 10, 2023.  
    JoAnn was the 6th of 8 children. Her siblings, Rayola (Thorn), Gerald, Willis, John, Margene (Carter-Miller) and Roger all preceded her in death. Her favorite sister, closest friend, and co-conspirator Gwen Cowan survives her. JoAnn was also preceded in death by her son Steven Adams (Miriam). She is survived by her daughter Cheryl Adams and her 7 grandchildren, Christina Salisbury (AJ), Tiffany Pelz, Renee Erickson (Dane), Joseph Masson (Sarah), Elizabeth Pettey (Andrew), Charm Yousri (Asser), and Sierra Adams. She is also survived by her 16 great grandchildren, whom she adored and her feisty poodle Missy.
    JoAnn graduated from Juab High School in 1951. When JoAnn was 19, she met a handsome sailor in Wendover, NV. A 6-week whirlwind romance with Don S Adams led to an elopement on March 6, 1953 and a 70-year marriage. Three years later, Don and JoAnn were sealed in the Los Angeles temple. 
    With Don in the Navy, JoAnn moved many times all over the country. JoAnn hated moving, but thrived wherever they went. She was always heavily involved in her community. She attended business college, initiated and participated in Officers Wives Clubs on several bases, and volunteered with Boy Scouts of America. She participated in countless fundraisers to help her organizations thrive. She even worked in community-focused jobs such as the Florida Safety Council, El Toro Marine Base Facilities Management Division, and military base fire department. Despite her extremely active schedule, JoAnn always prioritized her children and supported them in all their activities.
All of her moves made JoAnn strong and resilient. After retirement and settling in one location, she didn’t stop helping and serving others. She stepped in when she was needed most and parented many of her grandchildren. She often said those were the best years of her life, and she wouldn’t trade them for anything.
JoAnn’s testimony of Jesus Christ is strong. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, she served in Young Women’s Presidencies, Relief Society Presidencies, and many other callings and ways. But her favorite calling was Nursery Leader. She loved the temple. She was always serving and loving others in her church, her community, her family, and everywhere she went. JoAnn was a true disciple of Jesus Christ. 
JoAnn was an eager and relentless learner throughout her life. She mastered many skills including cake decorating, pottery, sewing, card-making, gardening, and many more. JoAnn loved to share those skills with others and often taught classes wherever she lived. She also loved hosting parties and gatherings, where she was always sure to have everyone in stitches of laughter. With all her skills, jobs, hobbies, services, family responsibilities, and activities, JoAnn and Don would still find every opportunity they could to go square dancing together. 
We hope they can find a dance floor big enough to share with all those they have served and loved.

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 11:30 am at the Lindon West Stake Center (250 West 600 South) with a viewing from 11:00 to 11:30 am at the church. Burial will be at Levan Town Cemetery at 2:00 pm.