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Light a Candle
My name is Dawn Gosney, the daughter of Joanne Beverly Lane-Ewing. It is my honor to tell you about the exceptional, loving and selfless woman I was lucky to call "Mom". Joanne Beverly Lane-Ewing, was born at the Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu Hawaii October 5th, 1950, to Beverly Beck and Glenn Lane. Joanne was brought back to her roots, to Hawaii and laid to rest upon her wishes, in the waters of West Oahu, December 9th, 2021 after losing her battle to cancer August 26, 2021. My mother was a happy child, sharing her childhood with her siblings: Mike, Tom, Diane, Chris and Patricia. She grew up earlier years in Oahu and moved to several places in the US due to being a Navy kid. Later resided in Whidbey Island, attending Oak Harbor Highschool, where she excelled in music and art. After school, Joanne attended business college and performed many duties at NAS of Whidbey Island, working in Civil Service. While working at the Naval Air Station, my mother met my father, Beryl Gosney, and they were married and had two children: myself, and a son, Richard Gosney. My mother raised us kids the best she could, selfless love and always made sure our needs were met before hers. Growing up, I never could reflect until later how much sacrifice she had made to make sure that her kids were taken care of. My mother and father had a sporting goods store in Oak Harbor, Team sports in the late 80's that was successful for years. My mother used her creativity to design letterman jackets and worked very hard on running the business, spending long hours, but she was determined and enjoyed being a social butterfly and interacting with customers. My mother taught me about business and creativity early on, as I would help with window displays and other transactions she needed help with; She taught me the value of a dollar and what it was like to work hard with reward. In the 90s, Beryl and and Joanne split after 19 years of marriage. Joanne later found her soul-mate, Patrick Ewing, in the late 90's and then married, eventually re-locating to Everson, Washington, where her and Patrick created a happy home in peace. Joanne loved music, all sorts. If she wasn't humming a religious song, or a Hawaiian tune, she would yodel just like Grandma Beverly did. While in Everson, my mother was involved in music, singing with her fellow cabaret associates, and enjoyed being a song bird. She loved to draw, paint, scrabble, bingo and word searches. She also loved crime shows, Jim Baker, QVC and cooking shows. Patrick and my mother enjoyed traveling and bringing people together in the outdoors. Over several years, they both held annual "airstream rallies" where many people from all over would gather, and spend several days visiting, sharing stories, sharing food, making memories, having fun... living the good life! They brought their dachshund, Buddy to all of the events, as he was their "little Buddy". After being retired, working civil service for 30 years, my mom retired but didn't "stop". She opened up an antique shop in Everson, where she enjoyed customers and organizing and displaying the beautiful treasures in her store. She had this store for many years, and then closed the store, in talks of moving. Around 2014, Patrick and Joanne sold their house in Everson and moved to SE Washington, to be in a drier climate and the price was right. Nestled around beautiful mountains and sunshine, they found their "nest". My mom was very happy living closer to me, and was able to visit a lot. Patrick and her would become involved with their local town church, meeting amazing selfless people, just like them. They spent many years in a quiet, peaceful place, and spent many days helping other in the community have a better way of life. Over the years, they selflessly let people stay at their place, and had an open door policy. 2015 I took my Mom to Maui. She hadn't been back to Hawaii since the 90's, and never had been to Maui. We had an amazing time, my mom looked great, felt great, and felt "free"! Shortly after that trip, my Mom started to become "ill". She was diagnosed with Diabetes, and was able to "bounce back" and manage that in grace, following a lifestyle change --- she was so proud of herself as was I! 2018 Mom was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer, which who would know the series of events to follow. 2018-2020 my mother was living life, managing her "medical issues" and looking forward to many more years of feeling great and living her best life. 2020 was a life changer for all of us, as my Moms cancer "aroused" March 2020 and spread. Mom fought a long fight ---- always positive, always on "top of it" as she never wanted anyone to feel burdened. 2021 forever changed year: from April to August, my mom had the hardest fight and hardest reality faced. She left this earth feeling LOVED, CARED FOR, AROUND LOVED ONES, and up until the last DAY of Breath, she sang, and had a smile on her face. She loved life, had strong faith, loved people, loved the Lord, loved and cared for her family. She knew where she was going, and never "feared", and never wanted anyone else to fear. For this I am at peace. My Mom was a courageous woman with many friends, colleagues and will forever be missed and NEVER will be forgotten. Joanne is the "BIRD OF PARADISE": JOY, PARADISE, FREEDOM - A good perspective of life I love you Forever, Mom and feel your presence everyday! xo Thank you for Life, Mom, and I will see you someday in Paradise
