Joanne Kunz White passed away peacefully on May 8th, just shy of her 96th birthday. Joanne was born in Dayton, Ohio and moved to Rye, New York as a little girl. She received a Bachelor’s degree in art from Brown University.
After graduation, she was swept off her feet by a Navy pilot in his white dress uniform. Joann and Ralph White married and she followed him to Michigan State University. While at MSU, they had their first daughter, Nancy. After Ralph accepted a job at Dow, they moved to Midland, Michigan and had a son, Daniel, and a second daughter, Carrie. They lived in Midland for 18 years where Joanne enjoyed painting, teaching art and raising her family.
They moved to Knoxville, TN in 1975. Joanne remained active with her artwork. She especially enjoyed painting watercolors of the beautiful scenery in the Smokey Mountains. She was active in the Tennessee Artists Association and served as their President. Joanne had a big heart and was always helping others, whether a person in need or a refugee family from Vietnam. She was the type of person to give up her seat on a crowded bus to someone half her age. Her compassion for others passed down to her children, who later became an occupational therapist, a veterinarian and a special education teacher.
After she lost Ralph, she moved to Columbia, MD to live close to Nancy. She continued to paint and enjoyed live entertainment, but most of all she loved her family. She is survived by her daughter, Nancy; son, Dan; sons-in-law, Jim Stivers and Jeff Dickey; and daughter-in-law, Cathryn Mortenson White. She had six grandchildren, Tom, Ryan, David, Jeff, Bethany and Chris; and two great grandchildren, Alaina and Jack. She will be missed by everyone who knew her, but most of all by her family.
