Name: East Lawn Palms Mortuary & Cemetery
Address: Tucson, AZ

You and Bill, were always my "favorite", aunt and uncle. You were there for me and my sister when our father passed. You make up my fondest memories, from childhood to now. Your influence in my life is profound, and I shall always be grateful, I will miss you.

Your nephew.

Michael Brown

Jovana, Bill and I were friends in Olympia.  When they retired to  Sonoita, I visited there and we kept in email contact for a few years, then just at Christmas, and last Christmas none at all.  As the 2012 holidays approach, I've been thinking of them both.  When an email came back undeliverable & the phone disconnected, I  began searching for them.  Now I know.  As others wrote here, their deaths within a week of one another mirrored their lives together.  I have rarely such a devoted couple, loving and respectful of each other, and united against life's challenges.  I will miss them both.

I will miss her strength and her generous and loving spirit. Her love for her Bill, her friends and family was boundless. We are all so enriched for having her in our lives for this short time.  God has a new, beautiful, angel.

If my previous post did not take.....I want to thank Jovana and Bill for making my life a better place.  Jovana was a special teacher and Bill made me look at situations in a completely different light.  God bless both of you!

I want to thank Jovana and Bill both for making the world a better place because they are in it.  Jovana pushed me academically and talking with Bill over the course of the years made me a better person.  No person showed resiliency like Jovana and the world has lost a keeper.  Bill I hope your well and i grieve with you

Jovana played a huge role in my life. She made it possible for me to come to The Evergreen State College. Her counsel and suggestions were always instructive. It was my pleasure to know her as a colleague. Her presence will be missed at the college. We remember her with respect.

Jovana and Bill:
How can I summarize what you meant to me?  You were such extraordinary people and you wove a beautiful life together.  In some ways you were from such different backgrounds, yet in so many ways the same.  If I had to say who you were with one word, it would be “LOVE”.  It was the love you had for one another and the love you had for people, for the natural world, and for gaining knowledge which extended into everything each of you did.  

I did not realize what some of your deepest passions were until we sorted through your possessions.   At once private yet open.  Social justice, healthy body and mind, passionate inspiration to students to follow their own passions—not pushing their own agendas.  Politics and government, art, music, travel, skiing.   And most of all, the love of friends and family.

“Can you come meet us in Palm Springs or come to Sonoita?  Bill and I would love to see you all.  What do YOU want to do while you're here? We can take you. “

I will miss matching wits with Bill (yep, he was much, much quicker).  I will miss Jovana's gentle company.

And I know how hard it was for you to ask for help when that time came.  Jovana, you fought such a courageous battle against your cancer.  How you managed to balance struggling for your own survival with the never-ending conviction that you would succeed, while making plans to make sure Bill would be ok as your survivor. 

But you were not meant to be apart on your journeys from this planet.   (We still can't figure out who was waiting for whom).  

And how many lives were touched by the evidence of your deep love for one another?   Certainly many at the assisted living home, Emeritus, were awed and had to admit that until you, they never really knew whether or not true love really existed.

Thank you for letting us be part of your lives and for your example.  Helping you during this difficult departure has simply been a labor of love.  I will miss you always.
Love,
Your niece, Linda Bell

I knew Jovana only briefly and through professional dealings by phone and email on a writing project we were both associated with. It was remarkable that even in that kind of assocation, and sight unseen, she quickly made me feel like not just a professional contact but an old friend who she really cared about and was sincerely interested in on a personal level. That's a rare and special quality in a person. Thank you Jovana for enriching my life.

I feel blessed to have known Jovana and was able to have been part of her care towards the end of her life. Jovana was an inspiration for me and I will hold her in my heart forever.

My heart is full of beautiful memories of a very special lady, my Aunt Jovana.  Another angel to watch over me.
Yvonne

"May the blessings of God rest upon You, dear Jovana.
May God's peace abide with You
May God's presence illuminate your heart,
Now and forever more....

It was a blessing to know a courages, intelligent and beautiful woman like you who had served and helped so many. Through our meditations on the heart we connected deeply.

Lovingly Susanna and Puran Bair, Tucson, AZ

We are blessed to have called Jovana a friend for so many years.
Our love for horses brought us together and formed a strong bond for more than 15 years. Her beloved horse Petey remains in our care for the rest of his life - Jovana's wish we happily fulfill.
Forever in our thoughts, forever in our hearts.
Scarlett Fahrenson-Vaughn and Guy Vaughn

Jovana and Bill were long time friends who long ago won my love, respect and admiration. These things could never die. I am proud to call them my brother and sister, and to do all I can to help carry on the principles, knowledge and experiences they so kindly imparted to me in this world. Because I am but human, I grieve their passage, and it is important for those of us left behind to do so. But for the two of them, especially to have spent their final days in each others loving embrace, I feel nothing but joy. Bill so loved her that he passed through the portal to Paradise first, to be sure she would find his warm embrace when she entered the Kingdom of God. Together, their spirits will forever be joined in peace and happiness. Thank you Dear God for sharing them with us for their all-too-brief lives. Now let them basque in the radiance of your Holy care for all eternity.

Jovana walked a special path.  I'm so grateful her path and mine crossed, even for such a brief time.  My best memories are of her loving support in our yoga adventures together.  A dear soul filled with passion, integrity and such strong love for her Bill.  Peace.

So many memories and friends,please take a moment to share. A Memorial Service will be held in Sonoita,Az, bringing Jovana and Bill home for a celebration of their lives. Time&date pending

OBITUARY

Jovana Jones Brown

December 8, 1937 – August 22, 2012

East Lawn Palms Mortuary & Cemetery

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