JoAnne Cloninger Lucke

JoAnne Cloninger Lucke

JoAnne Cloninger Lucke of Havre passed away Friday, April 12, 2013, of natural causes after a long and courageous fight with cancer. Cremation has taken place, and memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 19, 2013, at Fifth Avenue Christian Church with Pastor Frank Donato officiating

The family has requested that memorials be made in JoAnne's name to Bear Paw Hospice, c/o Northern Montana Health Care Foundation, PO Box 1231, Havre, MT 59501. Hospice's non-stop kindness and care ensured total loving comfort for our mother.

Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with services and arrangements, and you can leave memories and condolences at http://www.hollandbonine.com.

JoAnne was born Oct. 19, 1935, in Bozeman, Mont., to Lester and Effie (Marx) Cloninger. She was the youngest of six children, raised in Bozeman and graduated from Bozeman Senior High. After meeting her husband, Lou Lucke of Havre while he was a student attending Montana State University, they traveled to Canada where they settled for several years, working and starting their family. They eventually moved back to Montana, then Colorado and on to California, where JoAnne went to school, became a certified cosmetologist and where she began her career. After 10 years, they moved to Bozeman, where she continued raising her family as well as starting her own business, which flourished and became very successful.

JoAnne focused her energy (and boy did she ever have energy) on her family and the different clubs and events that involved her children, including the PTA and being a den mother for the Cub Scouts. She loved children and seemed to have a special connection with them. She volunteered much of her spare time assisting at the Bozeman Help Center, an organization that specialized in assisting teens who were having difficulties. In addition, she also opened her home to children who no longer had their own homes to go to. She also had the best snacks on the block.

Shortly, after one last relocation, this time to Havre, Joanne developed allergies to the chemicals commonly used in salons, and found it difficult to continue her cosmetology career. A career change to working in the Herberger's clothing store, which she did for more than 27 years, gave her the time she loved to garden. She spent many hours in her yard. If that left any spare time, she enjoyed creating exotic porcelain dolls and sewing their elaborate clothing as well as taking care of her two grandchildren. These were truly her passions.

Having a good eye for interior design, JoAnne had a lot of fun restoring their home that was built in 1906 by her grandfather-in-law. She became well known throughout the community for her classic attire, her Red or Purple Karmann Ghia (yes, she had two), and her crazy hairdos. She was fond of amazing the locals with things like mowing the lawn in high heels.

JoAnne will be missed for her never-ending kindness, courtesy, and respect for others. She was adored by many of her customers and others. People still stop to tell how much they miss her. Her family and friends where truly blessed with an angel on earth. Thanks for everything, Josie.

JoAnne was preceded in death by her husband, "Lou" Lucke; her father and mother, Lester and Effie (Marx) Cloninger; her brothers, Raymond Cloninger, Grr Cloninger; and her sisters, Ester (Cloninger) Pruitt, Lucille (Cloninger) Mattson.

She is survived by her brother, Lee Cloninger; her children, Jeannie (Lucke) Kvamme, Louis Lucke and Larry Lucke; her two grandchildren, Kyle and Marisa; and her numerous nieces and nephews.