COLE, Joan
87, passed away peacefully on July 20, 2020. She was preceded in death by her husband, Barry L. Cole who died in January 2000. Although Joan was born in the Midwest, she often reminisced about the December morning she arrived in Tucson on a train from Rock Island, IL at age 16. She would say, "As soon as I felt the warm sun on my shoulders, I knew Tucson was home." Joan was always proud to be part of the local community where she enjoyed volunteering, theater, art, playing bridge, and being a Wildcat. Joan loved the Sonoran Desert and the Catalina Mountains, which she claimed as "my mountains". She was a master at telling a great story and cherished any opportunity to recount the many fond memories she formed during her six decades in the Old Pueblo. All those who knew Joan well will remember she always wanted to have the last word. Joan is loved and memorialized by her daughter, Alyssa (Riccardo) Valdez; sister, Sue Mann; niece, Victoria Eisen (David Wampler); great-nieces, Molly and Robyn Wampler and granddaughter, Rebekah Cole. Please honor Joan by making a memorial donation to the Alzheimer's Association or Jewish Family and Children's Service of Arizona.
