Joan Marie Waters

Joan Marie Waters was born on October 7, 1955, in Pendleton, Oregon, to Jerry and Marthella Waters. and passed away on October 21, at a care facility in Pendleton, after a valiant four-year battle with glioblastoma.

Joan grew up on a dairy farm in Stanfield, Oregon, where her family raised and showed registered Brown Swiss cattle. At one time, Joan personally owned a national winner, her Lightning cow.
After graduating from Stanfield High School, Joan moved to Pendleton and attended Blue Mountain Community College where she played on the eighth place nationally ranked women’s basketball team under the coaching of Berniece Bigham. To this day, she has maintained contact with several players on that team. After graduating from Blue Mountain, Joan headed for OCE, in Monmouth, where she played on the basketball, volleyball, and field hockey teams.

After graduation, Joan bought a gingerbread cottage in Salem, Oregon, worked for Boise Cascade for nearly 30 years, and more recently, after working for nearly 15 years, Joan retired from ODEC, the Oregon Driving Education Center, where she worked as Scheduling Manager, Web Designer, and IT Manager. Joan loved animals, especially her cats. During her fight with glioblastoma, the first thing she would ask when someone visited her was how her cats were.

From the moment Joan was diagnosed with glioblastoma, she was determined to beat the cancer. She fought for four years, and never once did she complain or feel sorry for herself. Her fight was made possible by the large number of friends, coworkers, her bosses, and neighbors who cared for and helped her. Joan and her family owe a huge debt of thanks to those people who stood behind her, selflessly giving of their time, energy, and money.

Joan moved back to Pendleton in early October to spend her last few weeks with her cousin, Tracy, who was more like a sister than cousin. Joan was preceded in death by her parents, Jerry and Marthella Waters, her brother, Ted, and half-sister, Rosemary Anderson. She is survived by her best friend, Chris Wood, numerous cousins, and her Salem “family.” A Celebration of Life will take place in late spring of 2024 in Salem, Oregon.