JoAnn Bammes Blackburn

JoAnn passed away in Tucson, Arizona, where she had chosen to live after many years in Los Angeles. She suffered from the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s Disease, but she had many other health issues as well. She was just a few weeks away from her 72nd birthday. 

JoAnn was, first and foremost, a devoted follower of Our Lord Jesus Christ and emulated His example in the openness and love she showed to everyone she met, from family to strangers. On many occasions, she offered hospitality and kindness to people she didn’t know well, but in whom she saw the image of God. 

JoAnn was born to John and Leora Bammes in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 9th, 1952. Her family, including her older brother Bruce, moved to Seattle, Washington, where her brother Daniel and sister Camille were added to the family. She was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of eight. 

The family moved to Utah in 1961. When she attended Westside Elementary School in Springville, Utah, she was sometimes treated cruelly by classmates. (On one occasion, they filled her long hair with cockleburs.) Later, she attended Farrer Junior High School in Provo. 

In 1967, the family moved to Laie, Hawaii, where she attended Kahuku High School. She then had the privilege of attending Punahou, a prestigious private school in Honolulu. JoAnn thrived at Punahou, but also worked hard to understand her Latter-day Saint faith. In the social ferment of the 60’s, she was an example of faithfulness to her friends. She graduated from Punahou wearing the traditional white holoku (formal gown), which she kept to the end of her life. 

In 1970, JoAnn returned to Provo to attend Brigham Young University. There, she became involved in the activities of the Orson Hyde Club, which learned about and supported Israeli society and culture. Donald Blackburn was another member of that group, and they became a couple. 

JoAnn also served as a missionary in the California Anaheim mission. She recalled stepping outside her apartment in Anaheim with her companion to watch the nightly fireworks at Disneyland. 

Don and JoAnn were married in the Provo Temple on April 24, 1976. Don’s ROTC scholarship led to a 12-year career on active duty in the U.S. Army. (He served many more years as a reservist.) Their first child, Sarah, was born while they were stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, where they were also involved in the dedication of the church’s first temple in Atlanta. 

Caleb was born while they were stationed in Germany. Miriam and Jeremiah were born while Don was serving at Fort Irwin, California. 

Among her many gifts, JoAnn had a beautiful soprano voice. She studied voice at BYU, and her children remember her often singing lullabies and folk songs as well as the hymns and anthems of her own church and others. 

After Don’s active-duty service concluded, the family lived in Palmdale, California, near Don’s hometown of Lancaster. While there, JoAnn demonstrated a willingness to do what was necessary to support the family, delivering dozens of newspapers every day to residents of the community. 

Don returned to graduate school at UCLA and the family moved into a student housing complex in Los Angeles. A few years later they were able to buy a home of their own on Thurman Avenue, where they lived while their children finished high school, attended college and served missions. (Caleb also served in the National Guard and was deployed to Iraq.) 

While Don taught public school in Los Angeles, JoAnn went to Santa Monica City College and obtained a nursing degree. She worked at several hospitals and discovered she had a gift for helping new mothers adjust to nursing and caring for their babies. 

During their years in Los Angeles, Don served as bishop of the Adams Ward, and JoAnn was active in reaching out and supporting other congregations that shared their building. They made many lifelong friends through their church service. 

Eventually, after retirement, Don and JoAnn sold their home in Los Angeles and moved to Tucson, where Sarah and Caleb had settled with their families. They remained actively involved in the lives of their children and grandchildren, and they also helped to care for her brother Bruce as his health declined. Bruce passed away in 2019. 

JoAnn bravely faced her final illness in October and November of 2024, with hospice care during her final days. She passed away quietly on the morning of Tuesday, November 5th. 

She is survived by her husband Donald Blackburn, brother Daniel and sister Camille, daughters Sarah Blakely (Abraham) and Miriam Young (Travis), sons Caleb Blackburn and Jeremiah Blackburn (Isabel) as well as grandchildren Benjamin, Katherine, Zachary, Kyle, Audrey, Melanie, Scott, Eva, Eden and Abel. 

A funeral service will be held at Lindquist's Bountiful Mortuary at 727 North 400 East in Bountiful, Utah at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 16, 2024.  Interment will follow at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.