Obituary of joanne brown welford

Joanne Brown Welford left us on February 8, 2022 for a joyous reunion with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and her beloved family, Joe, Richard, and, especially, Randy. Joanne was born on her grandparents’ farm just outside Lucedale, Mississippi on August 22, 1935. There she grew up surrounded by a large and loving family. She finished high school in Mobile, Alabama in May 1952 and married Joe Welford on June 7, 1952. They began their married life in Honolulu, Hawaii where Joe was stationed in the US Army. This began her adventures in traveling, all thanks to the military. As well as Hawaii, they lived in Massachusetts, Maryland, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and even West Germany. Joanne would say that she had a baby in each duty station but called it quits after Maryland. She had three children, Richard (Hawaii), Mayla (Massachusetts) and Randy (Maryland). Joanne was a devoted mother to all of her children, especially to her youngest son, Randy, who had Cerebral Palsy. Joanne was Randy’s fierce and faithful caregiver for his entire life of 59 years. After their military career, Joanne and Joe settled in Pensacola, Florida. Joanne soon began a career in real estate. Joe and Joanne went on to build and manage an apartment complex as well as other rental properties they bought. In retirement, Joanne continued her adventures in traveling as she visited Canada, Alaska, Peru, South Africa and Australia. She would often laugh about visiting all the continents except Asia and Antarctica. Later in life, Joanne endured a long and arduous fight against Parkinson’s Disease which slowly robbed her of her movements but never her spirit. She always greeted family and friends alike with her sweet and cheerful smile. Rather than complaining of what she could no longer do, she celebrated the things that she could still do with a smile. She would often say “I’m in pretty good shape for the shape I’m in” and laugh. Joanne was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Welford and two sons, Richard and Randy Welford, her mother Lou Ella Brown Miller and her Papa Johnie Miller. She is survived by her loving daughter Mayla (Lane) Shiver, her step-grandson Cody (Anna) Shiver, her brother Michael (JoAnn) Miller, her nieces Joy (Scott) Vickers, Alison (Corey) Garner and many much-loved family and friends. Visitation will be held on February 15, 2022 between 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at Olive Baptist Church (small chapel), 1836 E. Olive Rd, Pensacola, Florida with services at 1:30 PM followed by a graveside service at Bayside Cemetery, 3351 Scenic Highway, Pensacola, Florida. There will be a live streaming of the service on Family-Funeral and Cremation Facebook Account. It will also be available on their Facebook account to be viewed afterwards. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to give a donation to the charity of your choice in Joanne’s memory.