Joan "Joanie" North

Joan (Joanie) North passed from this life into the presence of her Savior, Jesus Christ, in February 2026, surrounded by her family who loved her much, the prayers of family and friends, and the loving presence of her Lord, who called her home.

Joan was born in Richmond, Virginia, the third child of Edward and Olivia Cowan. When she was in first grade, her family moved to Riverside, California where she grew up and went to school. She enjoyed cheerleading and graduated from Ramona High School and was loved by her friends with whom she stayed in contact with for nearly 70 years. After high school she completed a business course and began working. Through friends, she met her husband, Elmo North, who was completing his military service at March Airforce Base. It was a love at first sight story for both, and they were married in Riverside in April of 1960.

She gave birth to two children and the small family moved to Orange, California. While the children grew up, she remained a stay-at-home mom. Being a mover and shaker, Joan often volunteered in her children’s schools and developed her own ceramics business out of the garage to keep busy and earn money while staying home. She held a “ceramics show” annually and people came from all over to buy her unique designs. Her other hobbies were crochet, cross stitch, painting, making cards, cribbage, Bunco and bowling.

Family was always a priority for Joan, and the family spent most major holidays with grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins over the years. She and her two siblings were the glue that held the extended family together, for which we are so grateful. Joan also made a point of visiting her daughter’s family in Croatia and making the most of time spent with her grandsons when they were in town. Joan was fun to be with, and each of us enjoyed the invitations to go have fun with her.

Joan started attending Calvary Church after being invited by her neighbor and daughter. After a few years, Elmo joined her and they both became members of the choir, where they enjoyed singing and participating in musical productions. When she went back to work, she landed a job at Calvary Church and retired after working for Support Ministries for 28 years. In these years, her faith grew in visible ways. People who knew and worked with her remember her kindness, listening ear and how she would pray with them. Joan excelled at organizing volunteers to work in the office and many enjoyed working for her over those years.

Joan was a devoted wife to her husband until he passed in January of 2008 after 47 years of marriage. They loved to travel and enjoyed cruises to Alaska and trips to Hawaii with friends. Her ability to connect easily with people meant they had a full social calendar.

Joanie’s friendships were many, including the Lunch Bunch high school friends who met monthly, and her Bunco group which met monthly for over 45 years. When she became a widow, she met regularly with other widows for scary movie night. She loved her Lighthouse Fellowship group, the Celebration Choir, and traveling with friends to New York, Hawaii and Europe. After she retired, going to the Orange Senior Center to play Bingo, movie nights with her grandsons and attending the Encouragers class at Calvary Church brought her great joy. In all these activities and spaces, Joanie was loved and loved others well. Her family would joke that her middle name was “FUN”. She was a pro at inviting people in, connecting people to others and being generous with her gift of hospitality.

Joan was a beloved mother, grandmother and friend whose life reflected her deep trust in Jesus. In her final days, she expressed peace and readiness to be with the Lord she loved and served. Her faith remained a source of comfort and strength to all who walked with her during this sacred time.

She is survived by her two children, Stan North (Gabe Garcia), Jenny (Steve) Meeker, four grandsons, Jonathan, Joseph, Noah and Daniel Meeker and brother Edward (Jeanie) Cowan. She is preceded in death by her husband Elmo North and sister Noma Bahler.

As we say our final farewell, let us remember Joan with love and gratitude for the beautiful soul she was, and the warmth and joy she brought into our lives. May her memory inspire us to welcome others in, make the most of our days and cherish the ones we love most.

The family is deeply thankful for the many prayers, visits and expressions of love received during this time.

A celebration of Joan’s life and faith will be held Saturday, March 28 at 11:00 am at Calvary Church, 1010 N Tustin Ave, Santa Ana CA 92705. A light lunch reception follows.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to:

Calvary Church Reach Missions - https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=32c36f56-97be-49ae-b9e1-7d0502e3e656

OR

Orange Senior Center - If you prefer to pay by check, please make your check payable to: "Orange Elderly Services" and mail to 170 S. Olive Street, Orange, CA 92866. By credit card: use their website donation link at https://www.orangeseniorcenter.org/donate