Passed away peacefully on April 28, 2022 at the age of 84. She is survived by her beloved husband of 58 years, Richard Bess; loving mother of James (Valerie), Jerome, Mary (Chris) Kanzler and Laura; dear grandmother of Christopher, Clayton, Bartholomew, Katherine (Dustin) Smith and Jack.
A lifelong resident of St. Louis, she grew up in the Bevo Mill area and attended St. John’s Catholic School. Upon graduation, she entered the convent where she became a teacher and developed lifelong friendships. After leaving the convent, she continued teaching for several years but eventually retired after marrying Richard and starting a family. When she returned to work, she forged a very successful career as a real estate agent. Her “golden” years included working at the Cardinals Team Store in Busch Stadium and The Bug Store in Kirkwood, where she loved running into people she knew.
She loved spending time with family and friends, especially if it involved watching a Cardinals win! She was an avid gardener, swimmer, and traveler. Her many close friends and family were a source of great joy in her life.
Celebration of life to take place on Saturday, June 4th, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at the Laclede Groves Chapel (711 South Laclede Station Road St. Louis, MO 63119)
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of JoAnne can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation or the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Kutis Affton Service
Nancy Perry wants you to know she is praying for you all.
I’ll miss you JoAnne. Will always remember all the special times we had together!
A great friend, JoAnne always had a joke to tell & could make you laugh!!
We will miss her spirit!
No one can take the place of JoAnne! She had such a spirit of love, friendship and humor! God bless each of you in her family whom she loved with all her heart Many happy memories!
She was our grade school teacher at Epiphany of Our Lord and continued to follow us at our quarterly dinners, when she could. She always made us laugh with her jokes.
Had a wonderful time caring for JoAnne . JoAnne had wonderful stories of her life and of course baseball . Very sweet , will be missed.
Rest in peace my beautiful Joanne. We will never forget our beloved 4th grade teacher “Miss Kopfer”. You continued to inspire us and bring so much love and laughter into our lives for over 60 years. Until we meet again, you are forever in my heart and I know in the hearts of all your beloved 4th grade class at Epiphany.
Jeanie Cotta Goetz, Epiphany class of ’61
Joanne, was a witty Lady. Loved her family very much. I was a caregiver for Joanne, and enjoyed her Compan.
JoAnn was sweet, sassy, and strong willed, she always got backup. She was funny and a delight to take care of . RIP Beautiful ❤️
She was the greatest teacher! She was amazingly young when she taught us at Epiphany. I will never forget her.
Christine Smith ( SJHS 1968 ) sending prayers and tender embrace to her high school Latin teacher and his family. ❤
Richard, We are sorry to hear about JoAnne’s passing. I know she will be missed.
With love Jim & Dianne Bess