Joanne Chiusano

JOANNE CHIUSANO

Springville

Joanne Chiusano embodied the words unselfish, family, strength, courage, patience and positivity. She ended and greeted each and every day with a smile, a desire to give of herself to others and to never waste time on negativity. She lived her life with beauty and grace, never allowing any changes or obstacles to impact her enjoyment of life or the loving care she generously bestowed upon everyone she knew. It was with great sadness that her family and friends had to say goodbye to this extraordinary woman when she passed from this world on Tuesday, July 12, 2016, to begin her next chapter of life.

What was important to Joanne? First and foremost, her family. Her husband, Bob, was fortunate to have been loved by her for 42 years. Joanne and Bob's children, Robert and Christina, were a constant source of joy and pride. They were the center of her universe, and she always put their needs far in front of her own. They were all by her side in her final days providing her the care, love and support she had shown to them throughout living their lives together in Cedar Rapids and Springville, Iowa.

Joanne was born April 13, 1956, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Salvatore and Genevieve (Defanis) Criscuolo. She and her sisters, Sally Ann (George) Birdsey and Suzanne (Jack) Nastro, were raised in a loving, caring home located adjacent to their grandparents, where the strong family values that Joanne possessed were established.

Joanne met Bob when they both attended the State University of New York. They married March 25, 1978, in Long Island, N.Y. Joanne went on to finish her formal education at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 1980, when she commenced her career as a retail pharmacist for Drug Town, Econofoods, Rockwell Collins and other private local pharmacies. She "retired" from active practice shortly after her cancer diagnosis in 2003 so she could focus on healing and living life to its fullest by spending more quality time with her family and friends.

Joanne loved to laugh, cook, travel and most importantly, be with her family and her large circle of friends. She found true enjoyment from gardening at the family farm and did all she could to share the annual harvests with everyone she knew. She and her friends were very proud of that garden, and they all enjoyed it immensely right until the end.

Joanne was preceded in death by her parents and grandparents.

She is survived by her husband, children, aunts, uncles and many nieces and nephews, who all loved her deeply and unconditionally.

While Joanne's physical presence and ever-present smile and contagious laugh will be missed, her legacy of always putting others first, her unbounded strength and infinite positivity will live on through all those she touched.

Donations in Joanne's name are encouraged to be made to the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she was cared for during her long and courageous battle.

A special recognition goes out to Dr. Chirantan Ghosh and his staff, who cared for Joanne in her early disease stages, Dr. Mark Karwal and Mrs. Julie Lynch, who formed the nucleus of her care team at the University of Iowa, and for Hospice of Mercy, which provided immeasurable in-home support to Joanne and her family in the latter stages of her fight.

A gathering for family and friends will be Saturday at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home, Cedar Rapids, from 2 to 8 p.m.

Please leave a message for the family on the Web page, www.cedarmemorial.com, under obituaries.