Joanne M. Halden, 84

September 30, 2017

On Saturday, September 30, 2017, Mrs. Joanne M. Halden, aged 84, passed away at the Bob Fryer and Family Inpatient Center of Hospice and Community Care in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Halden was preceded in death by her parents, Frank J. and Joan Morabito Morelli, both of Geneva, New York.
Born in Geneva, New York, Mrs. Halden was married for 65 years to Glenn R. Halden, Jr., of Lancaster, an Army Master Sergeant in the Korean War and a retired account executive at R. R. Donnelley & Sons in Lancaster. She is also survived by a daughter, Dr. Judy Halden-Sullivan, Professor of English at Millersville University, and a son-in-law, Dr. Edward Sullivan, Professor of Economics and Finance at Lebanon Valley College, both of whom had the privilege of being with Mrs. Halden at the moment of her passing. In addition, Mrs. Halden has a brother, John F. Morelli, and a sister-in-law, Judith C. Morelli, both of Hallstead, Pennsylvania; and a sister, Mary Stevenson, and a brother-in-law, Terry Stevenson, Esq., both of Simi Valley, California. She has numerous nieces and nephews across the United States.
Mrs. Halden was a long-time bookkeeper for Fries Florist, formerly of Lancaster. She was a superb cook and baker whose feasts were well-renowned among family and friends. She was an effective gardener, canning and freezing the produce she and her husband grew at their Lancaster home. She was skilled at knitting, crocheting, and sewing. A fastidious housekeeper, she also had a keen eye for interior design. Mrs. Halden was a quick study–expert at any activity to which she turned her attention.
She loved—and generously spoiled–her many pets, enjoyed bargain shopping, playing the slots at Hollywood Casino, and watching western movies so many times over that she memorized their scripts.
Introverted among strangers, Mrs. Halden could be raucously funny in private company. Tough-minded, inventive, and independent, Mrs. Halden often remarked that she would have been a model pioneer woman. Those who knew her well agreed.
An upcoming graveside service for Mrs. Halden at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania will be private. Those who wish to celebrate her life are invited, in lieu of flowers, to donate in Mrs. Joanne M. Halden’s name to the Bob Fryer & Family Inpatient Center of Hospice and Community Care, 4075 Old Harrisburg Pike, Mount Joy, PA, 17552.