Joane Hunter
RantWoman notes the first member of the WA Council of the Blind and the first person in Kitsap County to die of the Virus. RantWoman feels sort of cruel mentioning the point that people who are dying of the virus usually are NOT having fun. That does not make the holes they leave behind any less real, but maybe it helps just to celebrate the lives that were.Friends, family mourn 'Granni Jo,' Kitsap's first coronavirus victim
Josh Farley, Kitsap SunPublished 2:55 p.m. PT April 9, 2020
https://www.kitsapsun.com/
EAST BREMERTON — As Joanne Hunter lay in her hospital bed stricken
with COVID-19, her friend Cindy Van Winkle told her over the phone she
wished she could give her a hug.
"I can feel it," replied Hunter, an 80-year-old known for her
spirituality as well as a fondness for such warm embraces.
"I know she did feel it," Van Winkle said. "And I could, too."
Only four days later, Hunter succumbed to COVID-19 and became Kitsap's
first known death in a pandemic that's swept the world and has already
claimed nearly 100,000 lives.
But the longtime Bremerton resident, a caring soul known for opening
not only her heart but her own home for others no matter their
circumstances, had known before the outbreak that her time was
limited. More than two years ago, Hunter, a lung cancer survivor, was
diagnosed with terminal idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
She didn't allow it to slow her down much.
"She was determined to live life to its fullest, to breathe every last
breath," said her daughter, Jodi Bodenman.
The pandemic posed challenges the family would have to overcome to
help relatives and friends say their goodbyes. Only one family member
could go see her at Harrison Medical Center, one time. Bodenman and
Hunter's other child, Jon LeVee, decided it was LeVee who would go, as
Bodenman had an earlier lymphoma that made her susceptible to illness.
When he had to leave her side, LeVee ensured Hunter's iPhone was on a
stand the family viewed until the end. On Monday, as death neared, a
Harrison nurse came and held her hand, the family said.
"...She will always be in our hearts as the unconquerable dancing
spirit that brightened our day, and who could always cheer anyone up
with her stories and positive outlook on life," LeVee wrote on
Facebook the morning she died, as he started a two-week quarantine at
his mother's home, away from his family.
The Kitsap Public Health District did not disclose Hunter's name,
citing privacy laws. But the agency is tracking such coronavirus
deaths. In her case, medical professionals confirmed the diagnosis;
but if someone were to succumb to an illness with coronavirus
symptoms, the Kitsap County Coroner's Office would conduct a swab to
ensure accurate record-keeping, according to Coroner Jeff Wallis.
Hunter grew up in Seattle. Her family lived on a houseboat. She
emboidied a 1960s "free spirit," attended Bellevue Community College
and worked as an office administrator at multiple businesses for much
of her life.
She gave birth to twins, Jodi and Jon and, after a divorce, met and
married Eric Hunter, who ran a mortgage firm. LeVee said his mother
quickly embraced Eric's three children— Catherine, Larry and John.
"It was a beautiful marriage," said Theresa Schroeder, who with her
husband, Bob, had a passion for gardening with the couple.
Theresa recalled the couple's quick, witty banter, and how as Eric
grew older, Joanne became more protective of him.
The couple was long involved with the Peninsula Council of the Blind
and its wider chapters after Eric lost his vision as a result of
diabetes more than two decades ago.
"She was always there, crochet hook in hand," recalled Amanda House,
Van Winkle's daughter, who also went to the chapter's conventions with
her mom, who is blind. In those times together, Hunter took House
under her wing, in this case, teaching her to crochet shawls, blankets
and other things.
Hunter had a way of "adopting" people, House said. "Call me Granni
Jo," she'd say. A radiant smile and a hug greeted most every
encounter. She was a friend you could confide in.
"You could tell her secrets and ask her advice," House said. "She was
very understanding, open-minded. She had a lot of love to give."
She gave a young man named Tyler Hicks driving lessons. Driving would
end up becoming his livelihood, hauling an 80,000-pound refrigerated
trailer across the country as a commercial trucker and instructor.
Hicks' aunt was an author who Hunter would type her manuscripts for.
When he turned driving age, no one else wanted to get behind the wheel
with him, he said, except Granni Jo. They climbed into an old burgundy
Oldsmobile and Hunter showed Hicks the basics.
"Anytime we needed her, she was there no matter what and with no
questions asked," he said, commenting from Salt Lake City on a recent
stop.
Hunter lost her husband, Eric, to illness in 2017. Her faith, in both
the Native American and Baháʼí traditions, kept her strong and helping
people. Even in her late 70s she took in and raised an infant for a
few months.
"We joked about her taking in strays," LeVee said.
The article included 3 photos of Joanne:
Joanne Hunter celebrates her 80th birthday.
Joanne Hunter with her son, Jon, on his wedding day.
Joanne Hunter wearing her Seahawk Colors!
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