Obituaries

MADISON - Joanne Harper Plunkett, age 70, passed away on Sunday, October 13, 2024 of a heart attack after suffering her personal annus horribilis culminating in an extended battle with uterine cancer -- well aware of the irony of a health professional being plagued with myriad health issues.

Joanne was born on July 26, 1954, to William and Joan (Lashway) Harper in Jersey City, New Jersey. She attended Northeastern University in Boston and received a Bachelor of Science (Nursing) in 1977. While in school Joanne met the love of her life, Guy D. Plunkett III, who was a student at MIT at the time. After she graduated, she moved to Madison to join Guy, who had started graduate school there. They were married on March 24, 1979, in Uniondale, New York. She spent her 40+ year working career as a nurse, largely a pediatric nurse for the UW Hospitals, working in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Caring for children was her real passion and calling, and her patients, and their parents, loved her. She retired in September, 2017, but continued to stay in touch with former colleagues, and even former patients.

Joanne enjoyed needlework and sewing, with a specialty of quilting baby blankets for new babies in her circle of family and friends. She was an enthusiastic user of public libraries, loving mysteries of all sorts. The library allowed her to investigate children's books for her grandniece and grandnephews, cookbooks to find recipes for her husband to try, and travel books, dreaming of when they could travel again. Before COVID-19 turned the world upside down, she loved traveling, from huge family gatherings at the Jersey Shore and the legendary Plunkett tour of Ireland, to trips with her husband (a honeymoon in Ireland, an anniversary in Scotland, a birthday train trip to the Grand Canyon), long getaway weekends (New York, Chicago, DC), and the wonderful trips with the "sisters" (London, Paris).

She loved good company, good food, and a good drink, whether a simple visit with friends or a holiday gathering like our traditional Thanksgivings dating back to grad school "orphans" gatherings. She was always up to try a new recipe or restaurant, and our trip to Scotland allowed her to discover her favorite single malt scotch. She was also a big sports fan, especially the Packers and Badgers, and was somewhat aghast that her husband and son did not share that interest.

Joanne is survived by her husband of almost 50 years, Guy; son, Ben; siblings, Bill Harper, Patricia Sass, and Linda (John) O'Donnell; brothers-in-law Wilson (Rebecca) Plunkett, David (Bettina) Plunkett, and Tim (Pamela) Plunkett; nieces/nephews, Michael (Krissy) Harper, Tracy (Ryan) Smith, Kevin O'Donnell, Katherine O'Donnell, Christopher Plunkett, and Elizabeth (Andrew) Baltasar; grandnieces/grandnephews Kylie Harper, Kieran Harper, Logan Smith, Henry Smith, Derek Smith, and Danielle Plunkett. She is further survived by other family and many close friends. Joanne is preceded in death by her parents, her mother-in law, Marilyn Plunkett, father-in-law, Guy Plunkett, and her sister-in-law, Karen Harper.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, November 8, 2024, from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Ryan Funeral Home, 5701 Odana Road, Madison.

A special thanks to all Joanne's family and friends for all their love and support, and our heartfelt thanks to the medical teams at University Hospital and UW Health for their care for her over this past year. If you cannot join us please raise a glass in her memory; Slán go fóill (Goodbye for now). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Carbone Cancer Center https://secure.supportuw.org/give/?custom=med04&group=carbone, the Madison Public Library Foundation https://mplfoundation.org/donate/, OR a similar local institution where you live. To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com

Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services

5701 Odana Road

608-274-1000