Joanne Peggy Mashigian

Joanne was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 6, 1933. She moved to Detroit in 1935 and lived there, in Oak Park and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, for 63 years. Joanne and Harry moved to Frisco, Texas, in 1998 to be near her children and grandchildren.

Joanne was baptized and raised in the Armenian Orthodox Church and was a faithful, lifelong Christian. She was an only child, and she always emphasized the importance of family togetherness. An example of this was her decision to leave her close family and friends in Michigan and move to Texas to be by her children and grandchildren.

Joanne was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Peggy Gavejian. She is survived by her husband of 73 years, Harry; children, Gary and Sandra (Gold) of Frisco, Lisa and Jeanne (Rubin) of Wylie, Robert and Angela (Scannell) of Frisco; grandchildren, Evan and Ashley (Lotfabadi) of Frisco, Shelby of Dallas, and Taylor, Mia, and Mason of Frisco; and great-grandchildren, Dean and Ethan. She is also survived by many extended family members throughout the country and friends, some lifelong from early childhood, as a testament to her love of others.

Joanne loved to entertain, and throughout her life, she and Harry hosted several parties in Bloomfield Hills and Frisco. She was known to be a fast driver, and in the 1960s she could be seen racing her Impala Super Sport convertible up and down Woodward Avenue! She worked part-time in Birmingham, Michigan, in cosmetics. Then, in 1978, she decided to start her own company and founded Robbie’s Original Funnel Cake Factory, where she shared her fresh funnel cakes at the Michigan State Fair and other city and county fairs. She was a fan favorite and was in high demand to attend every fair in the area. She sold the company in 1998 when she moved to Texas.

Not content with just one venture, she took up the art of china painting. She painted hundreds of beautiful hand-painted items and became so talented that she taught china painting in Michigan and Texas.

Joanne and Harry loved traveling, and they traveled the world. A favorite recurring vacation was Siesta Key Beach, Florida, where she spent six weeks on the beach for over 30 years with family and friends.

Joanne was a loving and faithful wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of her family. We miss you, but we are joyful that you’re in God’s house, getting ready to host another big party!

*“And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

Ecclesiastes 12:7

In Liu of flowers, donations can be made in Joanne’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association.

donorservices.alz.org

A celebration of life to honor Joanne will be scheduled for a future day. Please refer to this posting for any updates.