Carmel by-the-Sea ~ Joanne M. O’Such unexpectedly died in her sleep on Saturday, February 19, 2011, in her home.  She was a wonderful wife, caring mother, proud grandmother, loving sister, devoted daughter and a cherished friend.

Joanne was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on July 20, 1938, the first daughter of Anne and Andrew Mazur.  After graduating from Allentown Central Catholic High School, she enrolled at Moravian College, a liberal arts college in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  At Moravian, she was President of her sorority and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1960.

During her freshman year at Moravian, she met her husband-to-be, Fred O’Such, who was then a junior at Lehigh University.  They married on November 5, 1960 and moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he was stationed as a Lieutenant in the USAF.  After the Air Force, Joanne took a job at IBM in Boston when Fred enrolled at the Harvard Business School.

After Fred graduated from HBS, they moved to Metuchen, New Jersey, where both of their children, David (now age 48) and Karen (now age 45), were born.  David, his wife, Shelley, and their family now live in Los Altos Hills, California.  Karen, her husband, William Gorman, and their family now live in San Francisco.  Joanne is also survived by her sister, Bernadette, a resident of Malvern, Pennsylvania and Joanne’s best friend and husband, Fred, a Carmel by-the-Sea resident.

In 1971, a career opportunity for Fred posed a challenge, should the family move to California?  Joanne strongly supported this major family decision.  They first lived in West Covina and then, in 1976, moved to Los Altos Hills, where the family enjoyed 22 wonderful years.  In 1998, Joanne and Fred decided to relocate to Carmel by-the-Sea.

After their children went off to college, Joanne focused much of her time traveling back to Moravian College, where she served as a member of the Board of Trustees for approximately seven years until 2003.  During the last 20 years Fred and Joanne, embarked on frequent international travels and often visited Joanne’s favorite spot in the world, the small town of Bellagio on Lake Como, Italy.

However, Joanne’s real passion was spending time with her five grandchildren; Austin, nineteen and a freshman at the University of San Francisco, Nolan, sixteen, Laurel, fourteen, William III “Trip”, eight and Elizabeth, five.  Joanne had a number of additional passions.  At the top of her list was her love of reading and discussing books.  Close behind was her addiction to a certain brand of shoes, Belgians!  She also enjoyed “interesting” handbags.  Finally, for a change of pace, she always looked forward to a few days every month at Fred and Joanne’s “getaway” condominium in San Francisco.  All the family joined Fred and Joanne to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in November 2010.

Visitation will be held at The Paul Mortuary, 390 Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove, California, on Sunday, March 6, 2011, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.  A funeral service and “celebration of her life” will be held at the Carmel Mission Basilica at 2:00 pm on Monday, March 7, 2011.   In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution to the Joanne M. O'Such Memorial Fund at the Community Hospital Foundation, PO Box HH, Monterey, 93942 or to donate through the web by clicking below

Community Hospital Foundation