Joan Y. DeLong, 83 years young, Boonville native and eldest of six children, passed away peacefully, February 27, 2021 at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, MO. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
Joanie attended schools in Boonville, but during her High School years, her curriculum was interrupted to in order to help support their family. From her first employment at Holts Café ad Bus Stop, she developed a strong work ethic. Most of her employment centered on industrial manufacturing companies that included McGraw-Edison, Bobbin Heel Company, Selwyn Shoe factory, and Fuqua Homes.
In 1960, Joanie married Ernest “Ernie” DeLong, and after seven years, their marriage ended in a friendly divorce. In August 0f 1977, she moved to Phoenix, AZ with her sister Patsy and her family. She started working for “Man Power,” a temporary service, but was hired quickly by Custom Excursions, a plastics manufacturing company. One of their many products included the first Star Wars light sabers. When they closed, Joanie went to work for Revlon Cosmetic Company in Phoenix, where she spent the next 15 years as a product Quality Control inspector.
While working in Phoenix, she made friends from other states and countries. She became close with a family whose son taught High School in Japan, and each time he would come home on leave or vacation, he would challenge her intelligence on a variety of subjects. Each of them had met the person to match wits with. Over the years, they became very close friends. After the sudden death of her closest friend, she moved back to Missouri, and later retired from Con Agra Foods in Marshall at 62 years of age.
From an early age, her thirst for knowledge was amazing, she was an avid reader, and well versed; being able to discuss any subject. She was an animal lover, especially cats. She loved growing plants, working crossword puzzles, and watching classic movies. Her passion for the Star Wars Saga and Star Trek movies was well known by her family. She was a loving and generous person, and will be sadly missed by her friends and family. She was a mentor to us all.
Joanie was preceded in death by her parents, William Price Travis and Sallie E. Simmons; her brother, Kenneth M. (Doreen) Travis of Washington state; and her younger sister, Edith “Edie” Irene Jackson Kelsay of Boonville. She is survived by her sisters; Patsy E. Quint Johnson, Shirley A. (Louis) Imhoff, and Alice “Midge” S. Price Griffith, all residing in Boonville, MO.
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