Obituary of JoAnn S. Beach

JoAnn S. Beach JoAnn S. Beach, 70, passed away on October 5, 2009, after a long illness at home. Born April 6, 1939 in Lockport, New York, she was the daughter of Robert Keith Slaght, Sr. and Evelyn Slaght Etheridge. She was the wife of Hugh Richard Beach whom she married on April 5, 1960 in Lockport. Mrs. Beach graduated from Lockport Senior High School in 1957 and went on to pursue a career as a secretary. She worked at Lockport Savings Bank until she assumed what she considered the greater responsibility of raising her children. She retired in 1996 after serving as a volunteer secretary for the First Free Methodist Church in Lockport for many years. She was a member of Lockport Free Methodist for many years where she dedicated herself to volunteer service and holding many responsible positions. Mrs. Beach was well known in the Western New York area for her gospel solos. An avid reader, she was also known to donate books by the box to churches and institutions. In later years, she amassed a personal library of hundreds of large-print books, often donating boxes of them to senior care facilities, and even operating a personal library-by-mail, sharing them with friends who shared her enthusiasm for good reading. When she wasn’t reading, Mrs. Beach found pleasure in creating just the right afghan for some special occasion in the life of family and friends, even donating multiple lap robes and baby blankets to area nursing facilities and hospitals. Mrs. Beach also authored an as-yet-unpublished novel of life in a children’s home circa 1940s, “If My Mother and Father Forsake Me,” which was loosely based on her own experiences at Wyndham Lawn Home for Children, and written with humor in the face of hardship. Mrs. Beach is survived by her husband, two sons; Nathan S. (Deanna Budde), and Jesse P. (Sharon DiFrancesco), three adored granddaughters Sabrina G., Natalie G., and Jordan A., all of Virginia; seven sisters, Carolaine (Newton) Cutler of Gasport; Jeanne Karen (Daniel) Guill of Virginia, Judy (Helmut) Weiss, Newfane; Darlene Etheridge and Patsy Kilby of Lockport; Cheryl Smarr of Middleport; Roselle (Charles) McCain of South Carolina and one brother, Rev. Daryl (Diane) Etheridge of Adrian, Michigan, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins. She will be missed by her two very dear friends, Mrs. Vonda (David) Chrissman of North Carolina, and Mrs. Carol (Andrew) Vanderbrug of Massachusetts. Friends may call on Friday 2-4 & 7-9 PM at Lange Funeral Home, Inc., 186 East Ave., Lockport, NY, where funeral services will be held on Saturday at 10:00 AM. Burial will follow in North Ridge Cemetery. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.langefuneralhomeinc.com. Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Panhandle,122 Waverly Ct., Martinsburg, WV 25403, phone (800)345-6538.