Joan Marie Gallaway was at peace on Thursday morning June 23, 2016 after a
four year battle with lung cancer. She is now at home with her mother and father
and all of her four legged family that were there to greet her.

She was born on February 8th, 1945 to Sarah Virginia and Robert Eugene Thombs. She was the
oldest of three sisters, followed by Carolyn Sue and Kathleen Virginia.
Joan attended Dover Elementary School and later Estacada High School.
She married Terry Vickermann in 1965 and the two had a daughter, Sherrie
Marie. A short time later, they would divorce. She would later meet her
future husband William Edward Gallaway in 1967. They married in 1971.
They had two children together, William Jr. in 1967 and Georgia Ann in 1969.
Their last child, Robert Francis, was delivered by the stork in 1970.

Joan started her working life as a waitress at Ron’s restaurant in Portland, Or. in
the mid 1960’s and later Sambo’s restaurant in the early 1970’s in Newport, Or.
A lover of animals and the splendor of the American west, she moved her family
to Emigrant, Mt. and lived on the Story Ranch. Later, to Billings, Mt. where she
would breed and raise doberman pinschers and ride her favorite horse, Frosty.
Hard times in the mid 1970’s would force Joan to move her family back to
Portland, Oregon and the metro area where she continued raising and showing
doberman pinschers. There, she worked for GTE as a telephone operator and
later as a cocktail waitress at the Eagles Lodge off of SW Barbur Blvd. She ended
her working life as a bartender and former President of the Ladies Auxillary at
the Eagles Lodge on SE Hawthorne in Portland.

Joan was generous of heart and always had a smile, even in the most difficult times.
She loved to play Kismet and card games with the family. Sometimes she would
wear a different hat during those games and call herself Ms. Hoyle when it came
to determining the rules. She always looked forward to her vacation trips to Reno
with her mother and sisters and the Eagles Ladies Auxillary Conventions.

An informal celebration of Joan’s life will be held Sunday September 4th, 2016 at:
227 Wynoochee Valley Rd. in Montesano, Wa. 98563

She came into the world with a thunderous applause and left the world with many
hands holding hers. Knowned by many titles, she entered the world as daughter
and left as whisper grandma.

She is not survived by, but rather cherished and remembered by her family, friends
and loved ones whose lives she touched so deeply. With so many to mention, please leave your remembrance’s here: