Joanne Barnes Mann

Joanne Elizabeth Barnes Mann completed her life’s journey which began on August 1st, 1945 in Raleigh, NC and ended on June 24, 2016, surrounded by family in Jamestown, NC, her home for forty two years. She was a grateful survivor of pancreatic cancer for three and a half years and breast cancer for over two years. Fortunately, she was diagnosed with stage 1 pancreatic cancer and was able to be treated and live three productive years before the cancer metastasized to her liver. Her hope was that patients could become aware of their diagnosis earlier due to the stealth and lethality of pancreatic cancer.

Growing up, Joanne felt fortunate to travel extensively with her parents and brother thanks to her father’s Air Force career. They most enjoyed living in Casablanca, Morocco and Madrid, Spain during Joanne’s first three years of high school.

The family retired to Morehead City, NC where Joanne’s maternal grandparents, Mary Gardner and Dwight Johnson, lived. Joanne graduated from Morehead City High School, then the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in English. Joanne also met her husband, Buddy O’ Neill Mann (Princeton, WV) during her senior year at UNC-G. They were married for nearly forty-nine interesting and loving years.

After working in the Public Relations Department of RJ Reynolds, Joanne returned to teaching English at Allen Jay High School in High Point, NC. She raised two wonderful children, Scott Mann (Courtney) of Raleigh, NC and Rebecca Mann Rayborn (Cory) of Jamestown, NC and was known as “Mama J” to her three cherished grandchildren, Meredith Mann, Davis Mann, and Katherine Rayborn.

Joanne enjoyed volunteering with several community organizations, especially in her longtime association with the Historic Jamestown Society. She relished making a “find” for her collection of children’s books. She was a cinephile who loved most all movies and plays. Family, friends, and neighbors say she was warm, creative, artistic, quick-witted, enthusiastic, and delightfully eccentric.

Joanne was a member of the St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church from its inception, when the first services were being held in Forbis & Dick Funeral Home (Guilford Chapel) in 1974 prior to building their present church.

Joanne was preceded in death by her father, Leo Edward Barnes; mother, Mary Gardner Barnes; and her paternal grandparents, Richard and Rose Barnes of Chicago, IL. Also preceding her were her maternal grandparents, Mary Elizabeth Gardner Johnson, Floyd Gardner, and Dwight Johnson; her in-laws Opie and Rhoda Mann; sisters-in-law, June Roberts and Janet Mann; and a lifetime of cherished cats.

In addition to her children and grandchildren, Joanne is survived by her husband, Buddy Mann, of the home; brother, Michael T. Barnes (Carolyn) of Charlottesville, VA; sister-in-law Wilma Bailey of Princeton, WV; brother-in-law Billy Mann of Cape Coral, FL; nieces Pamela Sage (Paul) of Princeton, WV, Terry Mann of Cape Coral, FL, Karen Keliher (Sean) of Livonia, MI, Rita Krantz of Roanoke, VA; nephews Timothy Barnes (Ashley) of Falls Church, VA, Justin Barnes (Blake) of Bridgewater, VA, Michael Roberts (Michele) of Winston-Salem, NC, Steven Mann (Kim) of Matthews, NC, and David Mann of Cape Coral, FL; cousins Patricia Varney (Pete) of Durango, CO, and Elaine Hamlin of Mountain View, CA; and her beloved Katie Kat.

The family thanks the many doctors who have helped Joanne through this journey. They would especially like to thank the caring and compassionate staff, nurses, and Sisters at Pennybyrn at Maryfield, who made her final days peaceful.

A celebration of life will be held at 2:00pm on Thursday at Hanes Lineberry Sedgefield Chapel, 6000 W. Gate City Blvd, Greensboro NC, with a reception afterwards. Graveside service will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (877-272-6226, www.pancan.org) or to a charity of your choice.