Joan Marie Abrams, 52, beloved sister, aunt and friend, died of renal failure Friday, March 30, 2007, at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane. A talented writer, she was a retired Lewiston Tribune editor and reporter.
Joan was generous, loving and kind, with such a terrific sense of humor she was often considered the life of the party.
She was born June 22, 1954, in Lewiston to James W. and Frances P. Abrams, joining brother Stephen P. and sister Sara Jane (Sally). Her early childhood was spent in Lewiston. When she was 6 years old, the family moved to Clarkston and she attended Holy Family Parochial School .
Joan was a scholar who enjoyed learning and had a special talent for English and literature. She graduated from Clarkston High School in 1972. In 1977, she graduated magna cum laude with an English degree from the University of Idaho at Moscow, and then attended graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
When Joan returned to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, she attended Valley Business College and worked at a variety of jobs before beginning her career at the Lewiston Tribune in 1982. Joan started as a proofreader and became a part-time general assignment and entertainment reporter in early 1984. In September 1984, she became a copy editor, a job she held until April 1986, when she took over the business beat. She later became assistant city editor before moving on to her favorite beat, covering cops and courts in Lewiston and Nez Perce County. She later transferred to the arts and entertainment beat and returned to the assistant city editor seat in 1998.
In April 2001, failing health forced her early retirement from the Tribune. Joan always treasured her years at the Tribune, her relationships with fellow reporters and editors, and her bond with her readers.
After retirement, she took up scrapbooking and created many beautiful books to share with family, friends and loved ones.
Although her physical health grew worse, her independent spirit and sense of fun never wavered. She had a sharp wit and a wicked sense of humor and she enjoyed nothing more than delivering, with dead-on timing, the perfect witticism to crack people up.
Joan was a member of the Holy Family Parish. Professional associations included the Society for Professional Journalists.
Joan enjoyed a slow-paced game of Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit, a perfectly brewed glass of iced tea, the music of Motown, Eric Clapton, James Taylor and the Beatles, among others, English literature in general and Jane Austen in particular, watching her favorite team, the Mariners, in action, and scouting out the best bargains on shopping trips.
She was a second mother to her nieces and nephews, who will be forever grateful for her presence in their lives.
Survivors include her brother and his wife, Stephen P. and Lin Abrams of Spokane; nieces Julie Yochum of Craigmont, Laura and Gary Woods of Forest Grove, Ore., Anne and Neal Gleaton of Spokane, and Maria Yochum of Beaverton, Ore.; nephews Doug Yochum and Joe Yochum, both of Lewiston, John Yochum of Bellevue, Wash., Dan and Jennifer Yochum of Pasco, James and Angie Yochum of McMinnville, Ore., Jesse Abrams and Andy and Mel Abrams, all of Moscow, and Drew Kawell of Corvallis, Ore.; grand-nieces Courtney Owens of Coeur d'Alene, Britney and Madison Woods of Forest Grove, Ore., Olivia Gleaton of Spokane, Sara Jane Yochum of Lewiston, and Emma Mae and Maggie Mae Abrams, both of Moscow; and grand-nephews Noah and Abraham Gleaton of Spokane, and Ethan and Mason Yochum of McMinnville, Ore.
She will be deeply missed by her two closest friends, Susan Engle of Lewiston and Kathryn Tacke of Coeur d'Alene.
Joan was preceded in death by her father, in December 1992; her mother, in January 2004; and her sister, Sara Jane (Sally) Yochum, in May 2004.
Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Friday, April 13, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Clarkston.
Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 14, also at Holy Family Catholic Church.
A reception will follow at Holy Family Parish Center.
The family suggests memorials be sent to the Sylvia Harrell Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to journalism students, in care of the Lewiston Tribune, 505 C St., Lewiston, ID 83501.
