Joanne was born in Minneapolis MN; she was preceded in death by her parents John and Winnidell Wilson. She is survived by her husband Duane L Lindahl, her sons Rick Smith and Duane A. Lindahl. Her daughter Kelly Priest. Her brothers; Murray and Rebecca Wilson, and Ross Wilson and his wife Margo Squire. Grandchildren: Andrew, Isabelle, Rachel, Tyler, Autumn and her great granddaughter Kimber.
She was proud to be a registered member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Joanne was the granddaughter of two original enrollees of the Choctaw Nation and a direct lineal descendant of Choctaw Chief Nitakechi, who led the tribe in the 1830s. She prized Choctaw and other Native American art, jewelry, and memorabilia that she inherited from her mother and grandmother. In the last years of her life, Joanne took lessons in speaking Choctaw and was engaged with an Oklahoma scholar and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma leaders on the publication of an anthology of poems by her grandmother, Winnie Lewis Gravitt that include and reflect Choctaw language and the flavor of frontier Indian Territory and Oklahoma.
Joanne spent her high school years in Edina, MN. then received her bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University. When she returned to Minneapolis she started her career with Ameriprise Financial Services. At Ameriprise Financial, Joanne became Vice President for Technical Utility Services where she led efforts to implement, manage and maintain solutions for managing images and faxes as well as systems middleware. She was known for delivering high-quality, cost-effective solutions while maintaining outstanding levels of employee satisfaction while grooming the next generation of leadership.
Joanne was a very spirited woman who felt strongly about Woman empowerment and equal rights for women. She became an avid motorcycle rider and continued to ride up until her death. A feat that she was proud of was her solo motorcycle ride from Amelia Island on the east coast of FL to L.A. and back. She also enjoyed many motorcycle rides with her son Rick and close friends Mary and Jim, and other friends through many of the states across the continental U.S. Some of those she enjoyed most were trips to Glacier National Park, Key West and the Grand Canyon.
She was also an avid sailor and enjoyed many spring days sailing the waters of the West Indies with her husband and friends. She especially enjoyed the Islands of Martinique and St Martin where she could spend time with her friend Sue buying jewelry, her favorite pastime.
Joanne was a big NASCAR racing fan and enjoyed watching the races from all of the series in NASCAR. She attended the Daytona 500 race every year for 15 straight years. She drove a NASCAR race car at the Texas Motor Speedway and hit a speed of over 153 mph. She loved it.
Joanne had a wonderful spirit and made friends easily. She will be greatly missed by family, friends, former employees and teammates.
Joanne was a passionate supporter of Planned Parenthood and deeply believed in the care and opportunities it provides to others. The family kindly requests that, in lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory be made to Planned Parenthood Action Fund at: https://www.weareplannedparenthoodaction.org/donate/fight.