JoAnn Smith

Our beloved JoAnn died peacefully on the morning of June 17, 2025, at Mantey Heights Rehabilitation and Care Center, in the care of HopeWest Hospice. She was born April 28, 1943, in Denver, to William (Bill) and Georgia Hewitt. When she was 5 days old, she moved to Victor, CO, and she graduated from Cripple Creek/Victor High School in 1961. She married William (Bill) Smith on December 29, 1962, and accompanied him to various mining communities, starting with Leadville, CO, where their children Michelle and Tony were born. After leaving Leadville, they lived in San Manuel, AZ and Winnemucca, NV, and they retired to Grand Junction, CO in 1997.

JoAnn rarely met someone that didn’t become a friend – she was an amazing, sweet, caring, and loving person. She was an active member of PEO until she moved to Mantey Heights in 2023. She was a former Rebekkah, avid cake decorator, occasional gambler, scrapbook creator and card maker, quilt sewer, loving grandma and great-grandma, volunteer, and good friend to many!

JoAnn was preceded in death by her parents and many aunts and uncles. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Bill, her sisters Dorothy (Bob) Sanders, Scottsdale, AZ and Pinky Bishop, Waynesboro, PA, children Michelle (Lee) Arnold, Fort Collins, CO and Tony (Gail) Smith, Delta, CO, grandchildren Ashlie (Nick) Webster, Brandon Smith, Ryan Smith, Kurt Arnold, and Easton Arnold, great grandson Cole Webster, sister-in-law Linda Thompson, Tucson, AZ, many cousins, nieces, and nephews. She also left behind dear friends, co-workers, and her “family” at Mantey Heights.

JoAnn’s family is grateful for the care she received at Mantey Heights and through HopeWest. We appreciate the love you showed to her, especially during the last few months.

Memorial services will be held Friday, June 27, 2025, 1:00 pm at Brown’s Mortuary, 904 N. 7th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501. In lieu of flowers, send love and prayers to her family and friends.