Joanne Edwards' Obituary
Joanne Dahlgren Johnson Edwards passed away December 23, 2023, at her home. She was born February 16, 1957 in Wichita, Kansas, to Larry Lee Dahlgren and Doris Evelyn Willis Dahlgren.
As an infant, her parents and two older siblings moved to Dallas, Texas. At the age of 15, she needed money to support her spending habits, so she lied about her age to get a job at the local Bob’s Big Boy Drive Inn.
In August of 1973, she moved with her mother and four siblings to Carmel, California. After graduation from Carmel High School, she worked in numerous sales jobs by day and learned the art of needlepoint design and pointing at night from her mother and older sister. In November of 1976, she married Kim Johnson, and from this union Adam Christian Johnson was born. Later divorced, she continued in sales and began working at Rittmasters Women’s Boutique in Carmel as a salesperson before being promoted to fashion buyer.
In her spare time, she enjoyed taking Adam to the beach to play in the surf and sand. Joanne enjoyed to travel and would load Adam and her mother, Doris, up in the car and drive the backroads sightseeing. In the summer of 1991, she and Adam followed her mother back to Chanute, Doris’s hometown. She began working for the Chanute Tribune as an advertising salesperson and later was promoted to advertising director. On October 3, 1997, she married Roger Kent Edwards in Chanute. In 2000, Joanne retired from the Tribune.
In 2002, Joanne was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. By 2005, the MS had progressed to where her body was unable to function properly and leaving her bedridden until complications from MS took her life.
Joanne was preceded in death by her parents and her brother James Steven Dahlgren.
Joanne is survived by her husband Roger K. Edwards of the home, her son Adam Christian Johnson (Ruth) of Sparks, Nevada, siblings Julianne Poitras (Pete) of Carmel Valley, California, Jeffory Willis Dahlgren (Karen) of Miami, Oklahoma, and Pamela Dahlgren of Chanute, Kansas, and her adopted sister Linda Morris of Chanute, Kansas.
On behalf of Joanne, her family would like to extend a big thank you to all of the caregivers and friends who helped make her life more pleasant.
Cremation has been requested with a Celebration of Joanne’s life to held at a later date. Memorials have been suggested to the charity of your choice and may be left with or mailed to the funeral home. Online condolences may be left at: www.countrysidefh.com. Services entrusted to Countryside Funeral Home 101 N. Highland, Chanute, Kansas 66720.
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