Joanne Marie Southerland

JOANNE MARIE SOUTHERLAND, 47, of Stilwell, KS, went peacefully home to be with the Lord on June 9, 2008. A celebration of her life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 19th at Life Church, 16111 Lone Elm Rd., Olathe, KS. A reception at the church will be held immediatlely following the celebration.

Born July 31, 1960, Joanne was a life-long resident of the Kansas City area, and a graduate of Blue Valley High School. She went on to obtain a degree in Business at Arizona State University. Joanne had three main passions in her life: Jesus, Family and Nutrition.

She had an infectious love of God that touched so many people. In the midst of her own battle with cancer, she brought healing to many people. She was very open and transparent in her living email diary about her journey and never failed to end each email, no matter how difficult it sometimes was to report, with these words: "In His Amazing Love!" Truly many were touched by this "living email diary" of her journey, all across the country.

Joanne was an active member of Life Church in Olathe and loved being a part of this church family. She never missed an opportunity to be in the House and in the presence of the Lord with her church family, and loved worshipping God. Joanne truly modeled the love of Christ in everything she said and did. Her love for God translated in her love for her family who survive her; Husband, Jack Southerland, daughters, Jenna, Samantha, and Jamie; her sons, Tommy and Joey; and her beloved dog, Zeke. The warmth and care for her family was evident in all who knew her. Everyone was touched by Joanne's radiant smile and bright eyes...a smile that lit up the room no matter where she went. She also had a passion for understanding the way the human body works and specifically how what we eat makes such a difference in our overall health. To that end, she was just one semester away from graduating from school to become a nutritionist.The knowledge she gained from this was invaluable in her journey with cancer and led her to share her discoveries with many doctors,patients, and friends. God gifted her with tremendous leadership skills that she used to help organize and lead everything from vacation bible schools, neighborhood bible studies, health food classes, and group vacations with friends. Joanne loved to travel, which included backpacking in Europe, cruises, beaches in Mexico, ski trips, and ultimately, a missions trip to Thailand just a few years ago, which greatly impacted her life.

She is preceded in death by her father, James R. Dierks, and her brother, Terry Dierks. She is also survived by her mother, Jeanne Dierks; brother, Jim Dierks, (Ann), sister-in-law, Roberta Dierks, brother, Dennis Dierks (Linda), brother, Tim Dierks, father and mother-in-law, Bill and Lois Southerland; brother and sister-in-law, Danny and DeeAnn Seay, brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Karla Hand, brother and sister-in-law, Randy Southerland and Kathy Pryor. Joanne also loved and cared for many neices and nephews and their children. In lieu of flowers, a gift may be given to Life Church, 16111 Lone Elm Rd., Olathe, KS 66062. Joanne's passion for life was evident to all who met her. We will greatly miss her, but know that she is dancing on the streets of gold with Jesus! We celebrate your life, Joanne, and we love you more than words can express! Have a Jesus-filled eternity!