Joanna Ruth 'Jo' Corcoran

JOANNA RUTH "JO" CORCORAN

Iowa City

Joanna Ruth "Jo" Corcoran, 73, passed away peacefully at her Iowa City home on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020.

Joanna wished to be cremated. A graveside service will be held at St. Joseph's Cemetery on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Family and friends are asked to meet by 11 a.m. in the rear parking lot of Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, 605 Kirkwood Ave., Iowa City, to assemble in their cars and drive to the cemetery. There they will gather at the grave for burial of the urn and afterward drive directly to the shelter at North Hickory Hill Park adjacent to the cemetery.

Social distancing guidelines and masks are strongly suggested.

Joanna was born on June 24, 1947, in Des Moines, Iowa, and adopted by Charles and Wilma Blanche (Olsen) Buswell. She was a 1965 graduate of Cresco High School, where she was active in vocal and instrumental music. She attended the University of Iowa, sang in the university choir and worked at the Iowa City Telephone Co.

She married Thomas L. "Tom" Corcoran at St. Mary's Church in Iowa City on June 30, 1973. The couple moved to the Kansas City area in 1973, where Joanna worked in sales for Coles Publications.

After returning to Iowa City, in 1980 they founded Corcoran Communications Inc., a marketing communications company working with higher-education clients. Joanna kept the books for the company and was integral to its success.

She later enrolled in Kirkwood Community College, where she graduated first in her class and obtained an associate's degree in nursing (R.N.). That was followed by many years' work as a pediatric nurse at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. After retirement, Joanna lived in Iowa City, and maintained a home in Lawrence, Kan., near her grandchildren.

She loved nature, the wonderment of life and spending time with family and friends. Joanna had a wonderful sense of humor and was a wise woman who taught us all how to love each other more. She enjoyed gardening, swimming, decorating, reading, traveling and family vacations in Estes Park, Colo.

Survivors include her husband, Tom, and their daughter, Megan Corcoran (Bret Schacht), and their children, Caden and Mia, all of Lawrence, Kan.; and daughter, Vicki Comnick (Dr. Mark Comnick) of Traverse City, Mich., and their children, Carissa, Iowa City, Iowa, and Benjamin, Brookings, S.D. Also surviving are sister-in-law, Kate Corcoran (Lars Hill), Iowa City; nieces, Elizabeth Hill, Iowa City, Anne Thomas, Coralville, and Theresa Thomas, Lawrence, Kan.; and nephew, Alexander Hill, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Also mourning the loss of Joanna are her close, decades-long friends, Carol VanDeWeerd, Teresa McDonald and Gwendolyn Countryman, all of Iowa City; Lee Bruno Heikens, Burnsville, Minn.; and Barbara Deur, Buena Vista, Colo.

The family is grateful to Joanna's physician, Dr. Rod Zeitler, for his compassionate care.

Joanna was preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents and parents; her brother, Jon Charles Buswell; Tom's parents, Richard T. and Margaret J. Corcoran; and sister-in-law, Jayne Corcoran.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Joanna's name by mailing a check to the Iowa City Friends of Historic Preservation, P.O. Box 2001, Iowa City, IA 52244.

Online condolences may be sent to www.lensingfuneral.com.