Joanne E. Moore

Joanne (Higgins) Moore passed away April 10, 2026, surrounded by her husband Jim, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She lived her life the way she cared for people – with compassion, generosity, a smile that never ended, and a heart that made everyone around her feel seen.

She was born June 12, 1941, in Seattle to Jack and Lena Higgins, moving to Tacoma when she was in the third grade. She attended Sacred Heart grade school and then St. Leo’s Girls High School, graduating in 1959. The oldest of eight children, Joanne was a sister and “mother’s helper” to her younger brother and six sisters. A bubbly, outgoing and funny person, her favorite entertainer was Jerry Lewis and while in high school imitated him in a school performance. So, it was surprising to see her matched with her future husband, Jim Moore, while in nurse’s training at Cabrini Hospital in Seattle. The blind date set up by Joanne’s classmate and Jim’s fraternity brother was the beginning of sixty-four wonderful years of marriage.

After graduation from Cabrini, she worked as a nurse at Northgate Hospital for two years. Then, prior to the birth of her second daughter, she decided to stay home to raise Mary Kaye and Anne Marie, followed by the birth of John Wesley. When John entered Junior High, Joanne returned to her nursing career in the Northshore School District, first as a high school health occupations instructor and then as the Kenmore Elementary school nurse where she acted as the Benefits Representative to the district and worked successfully to negotiate benefits for school professional staff. She supported Jim’s high school coaching by attending games and hosting coaching dinner and after game parties. She was always active in the children’s schools: PTA, coaching softball teams, teaching CCD, taxi service, and as a representative for nurses to the school district benefits committee. Her impact on her “kids” was felt for generations, and she was recognized for her tireless volunteer efforts as a recipient of multiple Golden Acorn awards and was enshrined in the Northshore School District Hall of Fame.

Between 1969- 1977, the Moore family spent summers commercial fishing on their boat the “Mary-Jo-Anne” with Jim and Joanne at the helm. With the abundance of young sisters in her family, there was no end of babysitters for Mary, Anne, and John at the Pacific Motel and Trailer park in Westport Washington. Joanne was often spelled from her deckhand role by friends of Jim’s, Grandpa Jack Higgins, and by Mary and Anne when she needed to attend to baby “John Moore.”

After their retirement in 2003, Joanne and Jim traveled the United States and spent time each year in their vacation condominium in Mazatlán. From 2007-2017, Joanne and Jim volunteered with Shirts Across America to help rebuild New Orlean’s after the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. They were named honorary citizens of St. Bernard Parish for all of their work. During that same time in 2007 while on a Rick Steve’s tour, they searched for and found Joanne’s Italian family. Years of lost communications were replaced by many extended family trips to Italy for visits including attending Joanne’s cousins’ grandson marriage in 2022 in Pietrelcina, Italy. In her retirement years she was active in the Northshore YMCA water aerobics program with her gang of “girls” and many friends, while she advocated for free swimming programs for Northshore School district children.

In 2025 Joanne and Jim moved into Quail Park of Lynnwood, Washington, a wonderful retirement community where Joanne could receive assisted living support. In the time there, she made many friends, winning them over with her sweet smile, wonderful stories, and positive outlook.

To the end, Joanne was a loving, caring, and selfless wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a skilled seamstress, sewing all three of her “girls” wedding dresses, and loved a competitive game of pinochle with her large extended family at frequent gatherings. She rarely missed an athletic event, performance, family gathering, or graduation for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Every year and until her passing, she regularly sent care packages, personalized cards and letters to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren both local and across the country.

Joanne is survived by her husband and soulmate, Jim, her three children Mary Moore (Denise Pyles), Anne Haskins (Matt), and John Moore (Scarlet), her eight grandchildren – David, Kathryn, Peter, Grace, Caroline, Nathan, Jack, Ella, and two great grandchildren, Madelyn and James; and, survived by her sisters, Linnette Lasher, Kathleen Thiemann, Barbara Graves, Patricia Kennedy, and Christy Higgins. She is preceded in death by her brother Bill and sister Mary Frances, and her parents Jack and Lena Higgins. Our sincere thanks to the healthcare staff at Swedish Cherry Hill Hospital, Seattle, WA for their loving care in her final days and to her cardiologist, Dr. Nina Rashedi who Joanne lovingly repeated to her and others - “she saved my life.” Joanne’s funeral mass will be held at Holy Rosary Parish Church, Edmonds, Washington, June 10, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. A reception dinner in the parish hall will precede the funeral mass from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. For those attending her service, we would love for you to don your favorite stripes in fashion or accessories! Joanne loved to wear stripes.

In lieu of flowers, Joanne has requested that donations be made to the Northshore YMCA “Safety Around Water” program in her name at:  seattleymca.org  .