Joanne Anderson

April 12, 1945 - January 29, 2021

Joanne Marie (Giliberti) Anderson, born to Italian parents in Oakland, CA on April 12, 1945, died in Woodland, CA on January 29, 2021, following complications of a previous surgery. Joni died at home with her family present. As the wife of a soldier, she will be interred at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California. Joni met her high school sweetheart, James Anderson, in high school in Castro Valley, CA. They were married four years later, in 1965 in Castro Valley and were expecting to celebrate 56 years of marriage this year. Majoring in education, with a specialty in early childhood reading development, Joni graduated from San Jose State University, obtained her teaching credentials, and taught elementary school in the Santa Clara County and Sacramento County regions. Because the focus on women’s professional advancement had yet not reached the level of today, her husband’s career took precedence. A recurring theme in the marriage was moving – 19 times in Northern California and Nevada. Joni had a talent for architectural design and decorating. She designed and built all her homes. These skills eventually took her into commercial real estate and residential home development. She eventually owned her own residential construction and development company. Joni was active in Holy Rosary Church in Woodland and St Anthony Parish in Winters. Her Catholic religion and focus on family created a close bond of love and support within the family. Her proudest accomplishments are her children in whom she instilled a commitment to excellence, to self-initiative, to personal accountability and to ethical conduct. Joni is survived by her husband Jim, daughter Lisa, daughter Gina, son James and grandchildren Kenneth, Giovanni, Marissa and Hannah and a great-granddaughter, Serenity. She is also survived by her mother Mary Pinto. Joni was preceded in death by her father, John Giliberti and her sister, Sharyn Castro.