Joann Marie Richardson

Joann was born on January 20, 1950 in Moxee, Washington to Sebastian and Edith Charron where she was raised on the family hop farm. She attended Holy Rosary Grade School, St. Joseph Academy and Seattle University. She worked at Valley Medical Center in Renton, and while living in Yakima worked at Coldwell Banker. She had strong faith in the Catholic Church, and was a volunteer teacher for young kids in the CCD program in Moxee.

In the 1970s, Joann led an adventurous life. She married airline pilot, Dick Leal, in 1976. After several years, they sold all of their belongings and purchased a 40-foot sailboat and took it all the way to Samoa where they lived for a year.

Joann returned to Yakima in the 1980’s where she met and married the love of her life, Jerry Richardson. Joann and Jerry took many fun trips with Jerry’s three sons where they enjoyed boating and waterskiing in Penticton and Lake Chelan as well as river rafting on the Deschutes and Wenatchee rivers. Joann and Jerry also enjoyed cross-country skiing in the winter and playing tennis in the summer.

Speaking of tennis, Joann was a member of the Yakima Tennis Club for nearly 30 years, and boy did she kick some butt! Joann never gave up on the tennis court, and nine times out of ten she figured out a way to win. She played many tournaments over the years, loving every minute of it. Everytime she stepped out on the court, she and her teammates had a memorable time. She enjoyed the game so much.

Her other greatest passion was her horses, who she treated like family. Joann and Jerry joined the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington, where they enjoyed the scenery of the Cascades on their Tennessee Walkers, making lifelong friends and lasting memories on their numerous trail rides. Joann was very involved in Back Country Horsemen, becoming president and writing the newsletter for many years, sending out her final newsletter the week she passed.

Joann was fiercely independent, taking a solo trip to Europe in her thirties. She also traveled to Fort St. James, British Columbia with Jerry, her siblings Bob, Elizabeth and Dick, and her nephew Ben where they enjoyed fishing and hanging out with grizzly bears, wolves, and moose. Joann also enjoyed trips to Sun Valley, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas.

She was fun-loving, kind, and most of all, extremely PRIVATE! But her independence didn’t get in the way of developing deep relationships with her family and friends. She never missed a family barbeque where she enjoyed catching up with her siblings, nieces and nephews. One of the highlights of her summer was taking her step-grandchildren to the Moxee Hop Festival parade.

Joann is preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Richardson, step-son Jeremy Richardson and niece Tami Howard. She is survived by her five siblings Karen Zelinski, Elizabeth (Dick) Dreher, Robert Charron, Bernice (Don) Loveland and Cindy (Keith) Houser; fourteen nieces and nephews Melissa, Marlo, John, Kevin, Brian, Stacy, Ben, Camille, Tiffany, Alexis, Hanna, Angela, Nicole, and Christopher, as well as her step-sons Wade and Zack.

A vigil service for Joann will be held Wednesday, August 23, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM at 4207, 902 W Yakima Ave., Yakima, WA 98902. A mass of christian burial will occur Thursday, August 24, 2023 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 201 N Iler St., Moxee, WA 98936.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation in Joann’s name to the Pegasus Project c/o Keith & Keith Funeral Home.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.keithandkeith.com for the Richardson family.