Joanne Elizabeth was welcomed into the world by parents Elmore “Red” and Betty Craddock on March 29, 1956, in Walkerton. “Little Bit”, as her Dad lovingly called her, joined older siblings Jim, Judy, John, Janis, and Jeff, and shortly after Joanne, came Joyce, Jerry, June, Jacqueline, Joel, and Jay. The Craddock family lived on a mixed farm on the 10th of Brant, and Joanne was a farm kid at heart. She would often be found riding their pet pony Rusty bareback or climbing the beams in the barn. Joanne started school at the one-room schoolhouse in Eden Grove and she and her siblings would walk their country road three miles to and from school every day, giving her the opportunity to wander the fields and explore the woods along the way, stopping in to visit neighbours, or catching a ride home with the mailman. Once Brant Central School was built in Walkerton, she went there until attending high school at Walkerton District Secondary School.

When Joanne was only sixteen, her father passed away, and shortly after, her mom sold the farm and the family moved to Paisley. Joanne worked in the local restaurant that her brother Jim & his wife Ev owned and lived on the third floor with her sister Judy. Joanne worked several jobs including hairdressing, waitressing and held a position at Brucelea Haven as a nurse’s aide before she began her career at Bruce Power in 1990. She began in civil maintenance and held many roles there including Rad-tech, Green-man and Instructor, before finishing in an office position assigning lockers. She retired in 2014.

In April of 1978, Joanne’s life changed in the best way possible with the birth of her daughter and best friend Mandi. Throughout the years, life, and the roads they travelled gifted them an unbreakable bond. From the day Mandi was born, she was the centre of her life and the two were inseparable. Having the kind of lifelong mother-daughter relationship many wish for, as a wee girl sitting on her Mom’s knee, or a country star hopeful recording in Nashville, Mandi never left Joanne’s side. Facing life’s struggles head on, realizing sought after dreams or just working in the yard, you would rarely find one without the other. Joanne’s unwavering support of her daughter’s hopes and dreams began early and has continued throughout their lives as Mandi pursued her careers in singing, photography and real estate.

In 2001, Joanne found the perfect place to call home and she and Mandi moved back to Paisley after living in Port Elgin for Mandi’s high school years. She began to put her many skills and talents to work, lovingly renovating the house into her home. She enjoyed refinishing furniture and had several beautiful hutches and cabinets in her home that she restored into something exquisite after others almost threw them away. Her home and property are beautiful today because of her tenacity, hard work, and dedication. Always with a workshop, when she wasn’t creating pieces for the house, she was fixing. Fixing this or that, Joanne didn’t much believe in throwing things away and with her own ingenuity, kept most things running well beyond their time. The outside of her home is just as magnificent as the inside and Joanne took a lot of pride in her flower and vegetable gardens, keeping the grounds looking more like a nature retreat than a yard. Whether hands in the dirt, kayaking or walking her beloved Tucker along the river trails, Joanne loved being surrounded by nature and always found a place, a tree, a smell, or sound that reminded her of being on the farm as a kid.

Joanne loved the fall when you could still feel the last warmth of summer give way to the beautiful colours of the changing leaves. She equally enjoyed the wholesome community heritage of the Paisley Fall Fair and a leisurely stroll through the Palace exhibits followed by an afternoon of watching the horses. As the months turned cooler, she would take to decorating her home for Christmas. By the time the Santa Claus parade came to town, Joanne’s home looked like a beautiful Christmas wonderland and Mandi often joked with her that it “looked like Christmas threw up in the house”.

A salt of the earth woman, Joanne lived a healthy and holistic lifestyle, and was always cooking, canning, and baking from scratch… and she loved a good margarita! Embracing her old soul and pioneer spirit, the little TV Joanne watched was dedicated to her favourites; When Calls the Heart, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and old westerns like Bonanza, as well as old school comedians like Foster Brooks… and she loved a classic Bugs Bunny cartoon because, as she often told Mandi, it reminded her of being a kid.  Her musical tastes reflected the many facets of her life and she enjoyed everything from a good ole country song to 70s folk and classic rock… but her favourite singer by far, was Mandi and she never missed a show or a chance to tell you so.

Joanne always had a special place in her heart for her pets. Her life long she was never without a horse, a pup or a cat and her love for animals was punctuated by annual donations to the local shelters & rescues. Her philanthropic efforts also often spilled over to her community when Joanne gave to the local foodbank and Grey Bruce Women’s House. Over the years, Joanne extended her compassion and herself to others in need of a lift through her delicious baking and/or her sound, honest advice.  With a kind and loving heart, Joanne was a generous and genuine spirit whose sense of humour, sharp wit and charm touched nearly every life she met. She was caring and supportive, hardworking, and resilient; strong and independent with a thick skin and a heart of gold…. and she didn’t take crap from anyone. Joanne enjoyed being at home and being surrounded by Mandi, her pets, and her family, Sadly, Joanne passed away unexpectedly at Southampton Hospital, on Saturday, April 20, 2024, in her 69th year. She will forever be loved and missed…

Loving and proud mother of Mandi Craddock of Paisley. Dear sister of Jim Sr. (Eveline) of Paisley, Judy Kraemer of Paisley, Jeff (Kathy) of Devon, Alberta, Joyce Craddock (Dennis McKeeman) of Paisley, Jerry (Barb) of Kitchener, June Craddock of Paisley, Jacqueline Craddock of Paisley, and Jay (Bev) of Brussels, and sister-in-law of Audrey Craddock of Pinkerton. She will be missed by many nieces and nephews. Joanne is now reunited with her sister Janis Wrightson, her brothers John and Joel, her parents Elmore “Red” and Betty (Carley) Craddock, and all of her loveable furkids, including her special boy Tucker.

A celebration of Joanne’s life will be held at Riverside Palace, 293 James St, Paisley, on Sunday, May 5, 2024, from 1 – 4 p.m. with words of remembrance shared at 2 p.m. Private inurnment in Douglas Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Grey Bruce Animal Shelter would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.