JoAnne Wilshusen

JoAnne Wilshusen Obituary

JoAnne (Donaldson) Wilshusen went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.  She was born June 27, 1927 to Herschel Arthur Donaldson and Geraldine (Scott) Donaldson in Little Rock, Arkansas. At the age of three, JoAnne lost her mother to Tuberculosis and was lovingly raised by her father and paternal grandparents, Mary Virginia (Black) Donaldson and John Arthur Donaldson. JoAnne lived with her family in Louisiana and Arkansas before moving to Houston in 1938, where she became the eldest of four siblings. There she graduated as valedictorian of her high school and was a Pre-Med student at Rice Institute (now Rice University). 

During her time at Rice, she met a woman at church who asked JoAnne not to marry until her son returned home from WWII. Her future mother in law made an excellent match, as JoAnne met and married the love of her life, John Hill Wilshusen, in 1948. The newlyweds moved to College Station where John completed his Bachelor's Degree in Petroleum Engineering and JoAnne completed her "PHT" (putting husband through). They lived in several West Texas oil towns and in Beeville before settling in Corpus Christi in 1956. Together with her husband and their three sons, they made their new town home by becoming deeply involved in the community.  

JoAnne held several positions throughout her lifetime, including Medical and X-Ray Technologist, Floral Designer, and co-owner of a travel business. She found the most fulfillment in her work for both St. John's and the United Methodist Church. She was a devoted congregant of St. John's United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi for over 60 years until her move to Glen Rose, Texas to be closer to family. She served as St. John's Program Director for 17 years and taught the Friendship Sunday School Class for over 40 years. St. John's was her second home for her entire adult life. Her children and grandchildren share in their Grand Jo's many fond memories made in the Fellowship Hall, the Narthex, and among the pews of the sanctuary. 

JoAnne served on the United Methodist Church General Council on Ministry for 8 years and then the Board of Global Ministries World Division: Africa Region for an additional 8 years. Her love for missionary work was inspired by her grandmother, and JoAnne said her passion for mission work was planted deep within her soul. She completed mission work in Panama, Brazil, Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and (then) Zaire. She made her last mission trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo at the age of 76. 

In addition to her extensive mission work in Africa, JoAnne devoted countless hours to her community, the United Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Women. She possessed a singular devotion to the church and a deep rooted passion for social justice. From a young age she worked to eliminate barriers for minorities and women; this played a large role in her work with the United Methodist Church, where she advocated for women to serve as clergy members and for the inclusion of all who would wish to enter the doors of the church. She truly embodied the phrase "open hearts, open minds, and open doors".

JoAnne served in many, many positions, including: volunteer in the early days of Head Start, founding member of Corpus Christi Metro Ministries, Board of Directors for the Wesley Community Center, President of Church Women United of Corpus Christi, President of Southwest Texas Conference of WSCS, President of the Corpus Christi Chapter of United Methodist Women, and numerous nominations as delegate to the (then) United Methodist Southwest Texas Annual Conference. 

Travel played a large role in her life. Together with her husband and dear friends, including her dearest friend Beverly Wilson, she travelled Europe extensively. Her favorite trips were those with her husband, sons, and grandchildren; they visited both Kerrville, Texas and Crested Butte, Colorado often. 

JoAnne was famous for her well stocked craft room, which was created for the United Methodist Women to gather and create crafts for the church's annual bazaar as well as to create crafts to support various mission efforts.

A consummate hostess, she held many gatherings for friends and family hosting a Christmas party each year for her most treasured friends and members of her Sunday School class. Family dinners were also important. Many memories were made and decades of politics were discussed over her Sunday lunches. Her tables were always beautifully set for each occasion and she took care to make each gathering feel special. 

JoAnne will be dearly missed by her family and all who knew her. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Mary Virginia (Black) Donaldson and John Arthur Donaldson; parents Herschel Arthur Donaldson and Geraldine (Scott) Donaldson; step-mother La Nelle Donaldson; husband of 68 years, John Hill Wilshusen; son, John Douglas Wilshusen; and grandson, Brian Gregory Wilshusen, Jr.. 

JoAnne is survived by her two sons, Scott (Elaine) Wilshusen of Glen Rose and son Greg Wilshusen of Corpus Christi; sister, Mary Linda (Adalid) Verastagui of Cedar Park; sister, Marlowe (Dean) Niemeyer of Austin; brother, Robert (Sally) Donaldson of Tulsa; grandchildren: Wade (Jennifer) Wilshusen of Katy, Alicia (Brian) Vedder of Cypress, Lauren (Ben) Krech of Georgetown, and John Michael Wilshusen of Midland; eight great- grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews and many treasured friends. 

A private graveside service will be held for family. A celebration of life will follow at a yet to be determined date. The family hopes to celebrate JoAnne's life with all who loved her at St. John's United Methodist Church in the coming months. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. John's UMC Memorial Fund at 5300 S. Alameda, Corpus Christi, TX 78412.

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