JoAnne Gilbert Walton May 20, 1938 - May 14, 2024

JoAnne Gilbert Walton
5-20-38 to 5-14-24

My mom loved plants. And planting Cosmos in the Spring.

Growing up, our living room looked like a jungle filled with exotic plants, ferns, coleus, asparagus ferns and African violets. I learned how to say Dieffenbachia as a young child! Her bible was the Sunset Western Garden Book. Later, our dad would build her a greenhouse off our dining room where her talent grew.

My mom taught me how to read food labels years ago, way before it became so common. How to watch for high sodium levels, portion sizes and that any super long ingredient words were just plain bad for you!

We both loved thrift shopping and often went through the bins at Goodwill Outlet. She loved to gothrough the books, VHS tapes, CD’s plus the houseware bins and anything Columbia. She found LeCreuset French cookware many a time!

My mom was an excellent cook, despite having to prepare “weird” food our dad wanted. She didn’t realize that she neglected to teach her 5 daughters how to cook as we only were allowed to do the prepping. We often called her after we left the nest to ask how to cook simple basic recipes. All of us eventually learned to cook quite well. Especially my sister Nancy with her famous clam chowder!

Growing up in Eastmont and Mission Beach and having a mom that didn’t work at a job, yet could be home caring for us instead was often taken for granted. She would shop the sales at Chaffees and the downtown Everett Departments stores buying school and summer clothes for us. We later shared a giant closet and often stole clothes from our sisters. My mom was our size too and many times she shared her/our clothes. One time she said “I bought some ugly clothes so Anne won’t steal them!”

Married quite young to our dad at age 18 and soon had 4 daughters by the time she was 21. My dad took her out on her 21st birthday and was asked to show her ID and all of our baby pictures had filled her wallet. Oftentimes, people would say she looked like our sister when we got older! She had beautiful blue eyes and never dyed her hair once. Toward the end, we couldn’t help but notice her hair had actually turned darker! She never had an abundance of gray.

My mom was a WARRIOR having to spend a huge portion of her life battling many cancers! Surviving Melanoma, Pancreatic, Breast Cancers plus a stroke. Eventually succumbing to Stage 4 Lung and brain cancers. She fought hard to the very end! I have never known anyone in my life that had her endurance and high tolerance for pain.

My greatest memory of all was when she accompanied me for my chemo treatments. It was at the old WW Medical center in a small infusion room. My mom went around the room and talked with the other patients, the ones with no special person they brought in. She never talked about their illnesses and only asked how they were doing, cracking a joke to bring laughter. I truly beamed and was so honored she was my mom!

Many “events” occurred around her Birthday, May 20. In 5th Grade I broke my arm at school. The nurse couldn’t reach my mom as she was gabbing on the phone, guessing it was with her mom. My best friend’s mom had to walk across the street to get her attention that I was injured!

I chose May 21 to get married because she always said “it never rains on my birthday!”. Although, a day after her birthday, our wedding day was full of sunshine and our ceremony and the outdoor reception at

Mission Beach were full of sunshine! That day is still talked about today. I also found out I was pregnant on my mom’s birthday.

I wish I was 1/4 as strong as you were. Love Teresa

Born May 20, 1938 at Providence Hospital , Everett. She is survived by daughters Anne Campbell, husband Jeff. Teresa Johnson, husband Ken. Nancy McCloskey, husband John. Grandchildren: Beth Blankenship, Jennifer Zach, Melissa Zach, Nicholas Johnson, Natalie Michajla, Jake Michajla, Kelsey McLeod and Tatum McLeod. And 3 Great Grandchildren. Brother Curt Gilbert, wife Kelly. Brother Vern Gilbert, wife Rhonda. Brother Richard Gilbert. Preceded in death by daughters Susanne Walton and Perri Zach.