Joanne Minga O’Brien, of Harvard, died Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at her home. She was 80.
Joanne was born on April 26, 1944, in Phillipsburg, N.J., to Joseph and Lisa Biel.
She was raised in the Hunterdon area and attended local schools, graduating from North Hunterdon High School in 1962.
After graduating, She moved to Florida to attend college for a few years before moving back to New Jersey. She met Thomas Patrick O’Brien and took his hand in marriage on Nov. 6, 1965. Tom’s work eventually took them to the Pacific Northwest.
They loved the country and moved to Harvard where they built their home when they retired in 2005. She loved ranching, tending to her Appaloosas, her dogs, yearly trips to Hawaii and back east to visit family and friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her sister and a brother. She is survived by her daughters Shelly Michalak and son-in-law Joe Michalak, Tara O’Brien and wife Suzanne Lynch, son Tom O’Brien and wife Kyla, grandchildren Sara, Hannah, Dustin, Patrick and Gracie, her brother Dan and sister Carol.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Princeton Church of Nazarene, 1008 Gold Hill Road, Princeton.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations in Joanne memory be made to Palouse Care Network, 1515 W. A St., Moscow, ID 83843 or First Responders Outreach/Gary Sinise Foundation garysinisefoundation.org/programs/first-responders-outreach.
Short’s Funeral Chapel of Moscow is in charge of arrangements and condolences may be left at shortsfuneralchapel.com.
