JoAnn Whitaker

JoAnn was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. To her family she will always be known as JoJo, a name given her by her first granddaughter. JoJo was known for her magnetic personality, loving demeanor, elegance, signature hairstyle, sharp mind and quick wit. She was a self-taught woman who could do anything just by reading a book on the subject. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t accomplish. She was endlessly devoted to her husband, Jim, her family and God.

She was no stranger to hardship, born during the Great Depression, she spent most of her young life sharing a bed with her mother and dresses with her sister. After her father’s death, the family moved to Tennessee and she would be sent to her uncle’s farm during the summers where she learned to plant sweet potatoes and care for animals, as he was a veterinarian. She preferred caring for the animals and because of this, hoped she would become a nurse. But life had other plans. She one day happened to meet a soldier home from fighting in the Korean War. He annoyed her with his boisterous arrogance and persistent phone calls to go on a date. Finally she accepted on condition he take her to the Cotton Carnival. He did and they ended up falling in love and marrying four months later. So she began the life of a wife and mother to three children. Looking back she would laugh and say “I never became a nurse but in a way I was a nurse. I took care of everyone in my family, my mother when she was older, my husband when he was sick and my kids and grandkids throughout their life.”

Throughout her life, JoAnn was the matriarch of the family and a pillar of support, offering wisdom, insight, recipes, crocheted gifts, love, acceptance and prayer to any and every person in her close and distant vicinity. She had a prayer so powerful it always worked, in some shape or form. There is no doubt that she is now in heaven - and that it will soon be exquisitely decorated upon her arrival.

She will be deeply missed by her daughters, Jamie Whitaker Annenberg and Jean Ann Whitaker, her grandchildren, Whitney, Emily, Amanda, Benjamin, Allison and Kellen, and her great grandchildren, extended family, friends and her pets. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Chamberlain Whitaker, her son, James (Jay) Whitaker, her sister, Dorothy Jean George and her parents.

A graveside service will be held on November 1, 2025 at 11:00 am at Green Lawn Cemetery on Mansell Road (behind Roswell Funeral Home) to celebrate JoAnn’s life and honor her place in our hearts and the world.

JoJo’s departure leaves a void in our hearts but her legacy and love will forever be cherished.

To offer your condolences and share cherished memories, please visit www.roswellfuneralhome.com.