Joan Vivian Pawloski

Joan was born to Vincent and Eleanor Pawloski on October 29, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. She was a very happy child who enjoyed having mom and dad to herself. Her sister, Diane, and brother, Vincent, later came along to join her family. Joan had lost her parents at a very young age and had taken her younger siblings under her care and raised them. They lived in Chicago where she worked for a telecommunications company at the age of 19. In 1974, Joan and her sister moved to St. Louis through Joan's company.

Joan moved once again in 1987 to Georgia when she retired after 42 years of dedicated service with Lucent. After retiring, Joan began expanding on her talents and hobbies. She became a wonderful artist and had gone on to teach and sell her work. She also enjoyed crafts, knitting, and gardening. She was an ardent book reader and was a very intelligent individual. When she was younger, she had won a scholarship to college, but Joan chose to decline so that she could attend evening classes at Northwestern while caring for her family.

Joan truly was a good person. She loved all living things, animals, plants, and nature. She enjoyed her gardening and had a real green thumb. She grew and shared many vegetables. She took day trips to parks and nature reserves. She even tried to visit every last park in Missouri and Tennessee.

Joan was many things including a very active person, a great cook, and she had a great sense of humor. It was nice that even though she was a proud person, she was also able to laugh at herself. More than these things, Joan was known as a second mother to so many people as everyone just called her "Aunt Joan." She helped raise many of her nieces and nephews and introduced them to literature.

Joan was a cancer survivor who liked to focus on living and enjoying life. She was more than a sister, she was a friend. She was a longstanding member of St. Catherine of Siena and will be missed.

Joan Vivian Pawloski is survived by her sister, Diane Golik; brother, Vincent Pawloski and his wife Paula; nieces and nephews: Steven Westhoff, Susan Westhoff Blie, John Westhoff, Michael Golik, Christine Golik Henry and her husband Eddie, Joseph Golik and his wife Jennifer, David Golik, Scott Pawloski and his wife Darinka, Erin Chavous and her husband Rick, and Colleen Walker and her husband Patrick; many great nieces and nephews; and many great great nieces and nephews.

Joan was cremated under the care of Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home. Memorial Services will be held at 10:30 AM Friday, September 25, 2015 at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Kennesaw. A Reception will follow at Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Event Center in Kennesaw.