Joanne Marie Springer

Joanne Marie Springer (Johnson) of McLean, Virginia, passed away peacefully on October 13, 2024, at the age of 81, with her husband and family at her side. Joanne was born on March 7, 1943, in Newark, New Jersey, to Frank and Catherine (Kitty) Johnson.

Joanne grew up as a “Jersey Girl,” spending the school year in Upper Montclair, NJ, and then summers in Spring Lake, NJ. As a child she enjoyed horseback riding, a passion that later materialized into horseback riding adventures with her children. Among many talents she was an artist and created some amazing drawings and paintings.

Joanne was a lifelong learner, and her curiosity brought her to several professions through the years. After graduating from Lacordaire Academy in Upper Montclair, NJ, in 1961, she went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and secondary education from Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois, in 1965 and a Master of Arts degree in education from Catholic University in 1967. She taught reading to university students with learning difficulties, directed the Reading and Study Skills Lab at American University, and taught writing courses at Northern Virginia Community College and American University. Well into her career in education, and after taking some time off to raise her three children, she earned another Master’s degree in 1991, this time a Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. After a life-threatening illness, she decided to leverage these studies along with techniques she acquired as an educator to launch into a second career as a Clinical Social Worker. Joanne directed social services at two retirement communities, led support groups at the Community Psychiatric Clinic in Bethesda, MD, and worked for Capital Hospice, counseling patients and their families and facilitating bereavement groups at Capital Caring. Along the way, she received numerous individual and team recognition awards. She once wrote that her goal was to make a life and not a living, and she set herself a career goal to work for 50 years, which she successfully achieved by the time she retired in May of 2009.

Part of making a life for Joanne involved her active participation in numerous groups that included her family and friends, many with a connection to Holy Trinity Church in Washington, D.C., of which she has been an active member for over four decades. From Homebound Ministry, Movie Moments of Grace, and book groups to the Conscious Living Group, a Women’s Group, and a Dream Group, she continued to nourish her curiosity and spirituality up until her last weeks through these rich exchanges that she cherished so much. She was also an active volunteer and worked with homeless persons at The Lamb Center and So Others Might Eat, participated in a humanitarian trip to Haiti in 2010, and even volunteered as an usher at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

Joanne loved family vacations which included trips to Massanutten Resort in the Shenandoah Valley, Florida, Costa Rica, and most recently trips to Ireland and New York City. She could spend some time quietly reflecting, as the numerous musings and notebooks around her home can attest, but she also truly relished making plans to connect her family to the people and places she so cherished.

Joanne is survived by her husband of 52 years, Edward Payson Springer III; her children Suzanne Marie Springer (Matthieu Verrette) of Montreal, Canada; Edward (Kara) Payson Springer IV of Merritt Island, Florida; Patricia (Peter) Regina Tatro of McLean, Virginia; six grandchildren: Samuel, Daniel, Payse, Kyle, Slayton, and Madeline; brothers-in-law Karl (Pat) Springer, Lawrence (Josiane) Springer, David (Delores – deceased) Bennet; sisters-in-law Helen (Frank – deceased) Johnson, Teresa (James) Puckett; niece Karen (Kip) Zurcher; and nephew Steven Johnson. Joanne was predeceased by her father Frank, mother Kitty, and brothers Bobby and Frank.

A funeral mass will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 36th Street between N and O Streets, NW, Washington, DC 2007 on Friday, November 8, 2024, at 10:30am, followed by a reception in McKenna Hall (behind the church). Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to So Others Might Eat (https://some.org/donate) in Joanne’s memory.

Joanne will be greatly missed by family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and her soul sisters. And yes Joanne, you definitely made a positive impact in this world during your precious time with us.

“They are not dead who live in lives they leave behind: In those whom they have blessed they live a life again.” – Doris Kearns Goodwin