Obituary: JoAnne V Sullivan Gephart (1934 – 2019)

by

  • JoAnne Veronica Sullivan Gephart
  • JoAnne Veronica Sullivan Gephart

JoAnne Veronica Sullivan Gephart of Caliente, Nevada passed away peacefully Thursday , September 12, 2019 in Las Vegas. She was born May 31, 1934 in Butte, Montana, the fourth of five girls born to Dewey T. and Helen M. (Gleason ) Sullivan.

In 1942, at age six, she and her family relocated to Lincoln County, Nevada. At that time, mining was booming in the county (as it had been for sometime); they were in need of a mining safety inspector and her father could answer that call. The family would make their home in Lincoln County living initially in Castleton and then Pioche. She graduated from Lincoln County high school in 1952, getting to then spend some short stints, with relatives, in Butte & Missoula, Montana and San Francisco before settling in Las Vegas.

JoAnne loved being a housewife and raising her three children. She loved spending time with her family adoring being a grandmother. Her passions, among other things, included Grisham novels, makeover shows, and decorating her new home (of which she sprinkled lovingly with family pictures and her collection of frogs and turtles). She loved couples dancing and music – big bands, country, and especially Patsy Cline. She spent her final months with family, staying with her sister Joyce and then granddaughters Noelle and Kelsey.

JoAnne is preceded in death by both of her parents, one sister Geraldine ?Jerry? Owen, and an infant granddaughter Korina Perry.

She is survived by her three children she always spoke so lovingly of: daughters Michelle ?Shelly? Cook of Arcadia, CA, and Karlynn (Hal) Chatwin of Caliente, NV, and one son Shawn (Venus) McAllister of Indianapolis, IN. She is also survived by five grandchildren: Kristopher Harris of CA, Noelle (Chris) PlotkinHarris and Kelsey Scott of Las Vegas, Jesse Cook, and Willy P. Guyer both of N. CA. In addition, JoAnne leaves her dear sisters Shirley Mason (CA), Patricia ?Pat? Franks (Pioche/Las Vegas, NV), and Joyce Yach (Eagle Valley/Las Vegas, NV) and many adoring nieces and nephews.

JoAnne?s love of family and enthusiasm for life will be sorely missed. Graveside services will be held at the St. Laurence Cemetery (in Pioche, NV) on Saturday, October 5 at 11 a.m.; as well as a same day celebrationof-life luncheon, in her honor, at the VFW Post at 12:30 p.m. (in Caliente, NV).