It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Joanne who passed away on July 2nd, 2026, at the age of 52 in Winchester, VA.

Joanne was born on August 19, 1973, in Brooklyn, NY to Dolores Annette Quereau and Robert Bruce Quereau. She grew up in Huntington, NY and attended Walt Whitman High School and attended business school for 2 years.

Throughout her life she was known for being the most loving mother, daughter, and friend. She showed a kind of love to people that they have never seen, truly the brightest light. When she walked in the room you felt it, she gave herself to the world and to God and always thanked her angels. She was so gracious for her life and what she was given. She always said, “May the white light of god always love and protect me” and meet each day with love and gratitude. She was beautiful, spiritual, kind, loving, generous, creative, strong and had the best sense of humor. Joanne was a beautiful light and soul to anyone who knew her, she helped any human being or animal that needed it. She truly was the closest thing to Mother Nature. She loved being spiritual and being with nature.

She worked as an office manager at Gills Heating & Air for 11 years and grew a sisterly bond with her boss, Lisa Weaver.

She also had her own business, The Hippie Willow where she created the most unimaginable hats, clothes, and accessories. She took boring clothes and accessories and made them beautiful. She was most proud of The Hippie Willow; it was a dream of hers to create clothes that are ordinary and making them beautiful hippy fashion and created custom burned hats.

Joanne enjoyed spending her free time burning hats and making clothes for her boutique. Her creativity and work are appreciated by so many people. She loved to make people feel beautiful. She found great joy in being a mother and always put her daughters, Cassandra and Arika first. She loved swimming at the river, loving her horse, Harriet and donkey, Henry and enjoying nature. If you knew Joanne, you know she loved helping anyone in need; it’s just who she was. She was a bright light in this world and lit up any room she walked into. She was known for her amazing cooking that she has passed on to her daughters. Some of her best recipes are her baked ziti, homemade sauce, chicken parmigiana, lemon pasta and making her daughters homemade pastina when they are sick.

Joanne is survived by her long-term partner, Luis Oyola, her two daughters Cassandra Mendes (Anthony Frye) and Arika Byrnes (Haley Byrnes) her mother Dolores Quereau (Jim Fitzgibbon), her best friends Nora Hammond, Erika Rudnick, Lisa Weaver (Butch Weaver) and Elianna Jaskulski, her horse Harriet, her donkey Henry, her 3 cats- Lola, Midnight and Sunday Grace and her dog Dixie. She was preceded in death by her brother Ronnie Quereau, her Uncle James, Grandma Grace and Grandpa Charles, Cousin David and her very close friend Dalton Weaver, her dog Sophia, and Cat Macho.

She was a loving mother, daughter & friend. If you knew her, you felt love no matter who you were. She loved helping anyone who needed it. She was truly the best human on this earth. Joanne will be deeply missed and forever in our hearts by all who knew and loved her.

Even though Joanne is no longer with us her love, kindness and legacy will live on through us.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be held for Joanne on Monday, July 13, 2026 from 1pm to 3pm at Omps Funeral Home, Amherst Chapel.

The family is requesting instead of flowers please make donations to the Esther Boyd Animal Shelter, 161 Fort Collier, Winchester, VA 22603.