Joanne Louise Roehr

Joanne was born in Endicott, New York in February of 1960. Her life spanned across the country from California to Arizona, from Texas to Florida, from Colorado, Minnesota, Arkansas, Alaska, and Washington. Similar to her places of residency, Joanne also had a disparate career path from pet shop worker to IT engineer, from sewist to Worship leader, from high school teacher to college student, and from Mother to Doctor.

Despite not having a college degree, Joanne taught herself linux and network administration and rapidly progressed through the ranks at GTE to Senior Systems Manager. After teaching herself to sew, she ran a side business in designing and sewing wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses.

Joanne was also an accomplished Christian solo singer and lead worship services for multiple churches. For ~5 years, every second, third, and fifth Sunday, Joanne and her family lead services at the Salvation Army in Downtown Dallas, TX.

While still raising 3 kids, Joanne decided to go back to school to finish her degree in 1999. She quickly realized her passion for medicine and pursued a career path towards medical school. She was accepted at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), and completed her degree in 2010.

Joanne had always had a heart to reach people in need. During her time in Medical school, she determined her degree and experience would best suit rural communities where medicine and care were often in short or non-existent supply.

In pursuit of a rural location, Joanne took a position at Blue Earth, MN in 2010. Again, Joanne found a new passion in delivering babies, often remarking how delivering babies was her favorite thing and cesarean operations her favorite surgical operation. During her time in Blue Earth, Joanne successfully delivered hundreds of babies and touched the lives of every mother and family she cared for.

But it wasn’t just the act of bringing life into the world that compelled Joanne; it was the care throughout the process. The security and assurance she provided to scared and disadvantaged mothers.

In March 2014, Joanne was diagnosed with spinal meningitis which resulted in a subdural hematoma. She was quickly rushed to the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries. Triumphantly, Joanne survived the incident and began practicing medicine only months after the ordeal.

Continuing her dedication to providing medical care in secluded regions, Joanne began working in the remote town of Utqiaġvik, Alaska in 2016. The hospital in Utqiaġvik served as a hub for not only the town of Utqiaġvik but also three neighboring Inuit villages. Joanne continued to provide care in career while learning more about the town’s culture and filling in on keys for a local Irish band.

Unfortunately, in April 2017, Joanne was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. After several surgeries and repeated cycles of chemo, Joanne lost the fight against cancer in late 2020.

Joanne is survived by her son, Nathan Roehr; daughters, Hannah Roehr and Rachel (Will) Sullivan; mother, Judith Mitchell; sister, Cheryl (William) Lee and brother, Thomas (Stacy) Webb, and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

In lieu of flowers, you may make a memorial contribution in memory of Dr. Roehr to:

Frontier Nursing University, 2050 Lexington Road, Versailles, KY 40383, (859) 251-4700, https://frontier.edu/

Frontier Nursing University is a private, non-profit, non-residential graduate school of nursing offering community-based, distance education programs leading to the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, the Master of Science in Nursing degree and/or post-graduate certificates in advanced practice nursing specialties. Our mission is to provide accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education to prepare competent, entrepreneurial, ethical, and compassionate leaders in primary care to serve all individuals with an emphasis on women and families in diverse, rural, and underserved populations.

Joanne’s heart and devotion for providing care in rural communities and reaching disadvantaged, expectant mothers is mirrored in Frontier Nursing University’s mission statement. We believe a donation made in her memory would help those in need while giving Joanne’s life another opportunity to provide care to those in need.