Obituary of Joanne Eloise Finelli

JoAnne Eloise Finelli peacefully passed away on March 14, 2018 at the age of 87. JoAnne was born in Wellsburg, WV on April 16, 1930 to Edythe and Walter Jackson and was one of seven children. She married Daniel “Danny” Matthew Finelli in 1950 and, shortly thereafter, moved to Maryland. Their only child, Daniel Scott Finelli was born in 1953. Joanne’s priorities always centered on family. She was a wonderful, loving mother and grandmother, always willing to help steer us through life‘s challenges. She worked in the Physics Department at the University of Maryland for many years. She and Danny moved to Cocoa Beach, FL in 1979 and remained until Danny died suddenly in 1999. She then moved to Gulf Breeze to be near her son and family and remained there until her passing. She remained very active, singing in the choir at Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church and volunteering at Gulf Breeze Hospital. She loved to read and would take on several books each week until Alzheimer’s disease began to rob her of life’s pleasures. She handled this challenge with faith, dignity and a fierce independence. She will be greatly missed. JoAnne was preceded in death by her husband, Danny; her three brothers, Samuel Jackson, Donald Jackson and James Jackson; two sisters, Edythe Jackson Klimas and Geraldine Jackson Pell and her beloved dog, “Aussie”. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Ellen Finelli and their six children: Daniel Jason Finelli, Matthew Ryan Finelli, Kyle Kenneth Finelli, Joseph Scott Finelli, John David Finelli and Keira Rose Finelli. She is also survived by her sister, Sondra Nemeth. The family wishes to extend their thanks to Emerald Coast Hospice and their staff, especially Sharon McGaw, RN and Dr. Logan Richards, as well as the staff of the Beacon for their care and her sitter, Becky King. JoAnne Finelli’s ashes will be interred with her family in Brooke Cemetery in Wellsburg, WV at a later date.