Joanne Sue Lemley

Joanne Sue Lemley, age 84, of Grants Pass, Oregon, passed away November 9, 2018 at home.
She was born on March 13, 1934, to Merle and Thelma Soden in Santa Ana, California. They moved from Anaheim to Orange, California, when she was a sophomore in high school. She entered an English class and there was only one desk available, right next to her future husband, Virgil. (Could have been luck, kismet, or falling in love.) Joanne was an excellent student, involved in sports and school politics. She and Virgil Lemley married in 1952.
They attended Whittier College together, until Virgil was drafted in 1954, to serve during the Korean War. While Virgil was away on duty, Joann worked in a bank and attended night classes at Woodbury College studying Interior Design. She was always a self-starter and always had projects in the works. Eventually, the level of stress and the population density of Southern California reached the point where the couple wanted a slower pace, and moved to Oregon in 1977. In Oregon, their son, Kirk, had a gardening 4H project.
No one realized how fast and plentiful zucchini grew. Joanne learned in a hurry and created a zucchini cookbook. The first 300 copies sold out in ten days! On the back cover it read, “‘BURIED IN ZUCCHINI.’ Cooking all the recipes in this book uses 99 pounds of zucchini!!” Her cookbooks supported the move to Cave Junction, Oregon, to live on Sucker Creek in such a wonderful environment. Joanne’s creativity knew NO bounds; etching glassware for the Oregon Capitol Building and Oregon Caves Chateau, and the padded Christmas baskets for Harry and David, and finally, the ultimate, custom wood boxes for chocolates, wines and other various items. Her marketing skills were awesome. Anyone can build products, but it takes special people to be able to sell them as well.
She never heard the word, “No!” She always worked on solving the client’s problem and helped in their success. Joanne was a warm, loving, and outgoing person; the ultimate role model of the words of Will Rogers, “A stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet.” People always responded to her.
She loved the outdoors and, with her grandchildren, enjoyed hiking and tubing on creek or sledding in the snow.
Joanne is survived by her husband, Virgil of Grants Pass; daughters, Deborah Blanchard of Grants Pass, Suzanne Lemley-Schein of Mendocino, California; a son, Kirk Lemley of Ashland, Oregon; a brother, Gary Soden of Santa Rosa, California; four granddaughters and a grandson.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Saturday, April 13, 2019, at Hull & Hull Funeral Directors, 612 NW A Street, Grants Pass, (541) 476-4453.

In lieu of flowers, loving remembrances are plentiful in your attendance or thoughtful presence from afar.

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