Salem – JoAnn (Ginther) Nelson was born on May 11, 1932, in Albany, Oregon, the daughter of Charles and Hazel (Seeley) Ginther, one of 2 children. She was raised and attended Albany area schools. She later met John “Brad” Bradford Nelson and together were united in marriage on June 6, 1953, in Salem. To this union they had three children, Randy, Sue, and Jill. JoAnn worked for most of her life for the Salem-Keizer School District. JoAnn loved to do counted cross-stitch, enjoyed watching PBR and Nascar, enjoyed listening to minor league baseball games, and was an avid reader.
JoAnn was preceded in death by her parents, sister and husband, Brad, who died on September 7, 1987.
She is survived by, her children: Randy Nelson, Sue Nelson and Jill (Rick) McAllister; grandchildren, Nicole, Kim, Jonathan, and Elizabeth; great-grandchildren: Makiah (Shae), Jenna, Jordan, Allie, Zoe, Kendall, Tyson, Aubrie, and Meiha; and best friend of 60 years, Catherine Norris.
Celebration of JoAnn’s life will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2019, at Howell, Edwards, Doerksen Funeral Home at 1350 Commercial St SE in Salem. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hed-fh.com for the Nelson family.
