We’ve Gained an Angel

We no longer hear JoAnn McClaskey’s gentle laughter in our hallways and we miss her greatly. Every day for nearly two decades JoAnn was our spark and role model for how to be truly engaged in life…she created value at work, smiles at play, and joy for everyone she touched. And JoAnn touched many who never got to meet her. No one breathed more life into giving back to the communities where we live, work and play.

JoAnn loved to spearhead efforts to share the bounty with those less fortunate. She would creatively nudge extra volunteer hours from her teammates as well as extra dollars from those whose time was otherwise committed, all to benefit others in need. Share-a-Christmas; Toys for Tots; Coats for Kids; Walk for the Cure…JoAnn helped feed the hungry and shelter the homeless throughout the year. Every day was her Christmas day. Whether wrapping then delivering presents; helping at a food bank; or walking through all kinds of weather to help find a cure; her kindness had no limits, her smile had no bounds.

To paraphrase John Wesley, JoAnn did all the good she could; by all the means she could; for as many people as she could; for as long as she could. Even from her hospital bed, she inspired visitors, staff and roommates alike with her angelic smile and soft-spoken words of wisdom. Now she is with the angels.

“If I can stop one heart from breaking,

I shall not live in vain;

If I can ease one life the aching,

Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin into his nest again,

I shall not live in vain.”

Her life is echoed in these words from Emily Dickinson; and like the poem, JoAnn will always be with us.