Joanna Joplin Bruno

Joanna Joplin Bruno, beloved mother of Tracy Bruno Bryan (Mark) of Collierville, Tennessee; Ronald Mark Bruno (Stephanie) of Freeport, Florida; Paige Bruno Alread (William) of Lowell, Arkansas; and Shannon Bruno Hoff of Madison, Alabama, passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on December 27, 2025, following a very brief illness. Her final days were spent at her home in Collierville, Tennessee, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Known for her autonomous personality, daily advice, and free spirit, Joanna deeply loved her family. She often said that her children were her greatest achievement. Joanna lived in Collierville for more than 40 years and retired from the Collierville Herald newspaper at the age of 80. Over the years, she also worked for Southern Bell Telephone Company, BellSouth, AT&T, the Memphis Chamber of Commerce Welcoming Committee, First Tennessee Bank, Perkins Restaurant in Collierville, and was a former member of the Memphis Jaycees.

After many years of helping care for her grandchildren, Joanna became a nanny for three families in Germantown, Tennessee. The family extends heartfelt thanks to the Christophers, the MacDiarmids, and the Gerharts for welcoming their mother into their hearts and homes. Joanna spoke lovingly and often of your children as she watched them grow into adults.

Joanna was intensely proud of being raised in a household with her great-grandparents, who immigrated from Russia. She devoted much time to researching their history and loved sharing stories from her childhood in Ellendale, Tennessee. Her great-grandmother, Louise, was a founder of the first Jewish Country Club in Atlanta, and her grandfather, Dr. Porter Jopling, established the Ellendale Utility District.

Active and adventurous, Joanna loved spending weekends at The Red Apple Inn in Heber Springs, Arkansas, water skiing with her children and playing tennis at the University Club. She could often be found rocking in her favorite chair on the front porch, working in her yard, or riding her bike around Collierville and Midtown during her years on North Parkway. Joanna enjoyed Sunday crossword puzzles and Sudoku, reading The New Yorker—frequently clipping articles and comics to mail to her children and grandchildren—watching football, and faithfully writing handwritten letters to friends and family.

Joanna traveled extensively and delighted in visiting museums in France, Italy, and Spain. She had a passion for fashion, always guided by a belief in simple elegance. Throughout her life, her greatest love was horses, which were a constant presence during her childhood in Ellendale and later when she lived in Mount Pleasant, Mississippi. Many of her most adventurous weekends were spent traveling to Hot Springs, Arkansas to watch the races at Oaklawn and enjoying spa days at The Arlington Hotel.

Joanna will be dearly missed by all who had the pleasure of a conversation with her. One of her favorite memories was whitewater rafting in Colorado, and she loved recounting the many adventures she shared with her grandchildren. Her family hopes she will be remembered for the joy she brought to others throughout her life.

She is survived by her four children, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Joanna was preceded in death by her three sisters, Julie, Joyce, and Jenny; her former husband, Ronald Nathan Bruno; and her parents, William Walker Jopling and Imogene Virginia Kimbrell.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Collierville Funeral Home on Saturday, January 24, 2026, with the family receiving friends from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joanna’s memory to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee.