Joanne DeLisio 1933-2024

Joanne was born Sept. 8, 1933, in Youngstown, one of eight children to Allen and Edith Knoll Aeppli.

A lifelong area resident of Struthers, Joanne was a graduate of Struthers High School, Class of 1950. She married her husband, Anthony, on June 13, 1953, and they happily made their home in Struthers.

Joanne enjoyed her role as a wife and mother, busily raising six children while working in the cafeteria for Center Street and Manor Avenue schools. An excellent cook and baker, Joanne loved feeding the masses at church dinners, her family at home and the neighborhood children on the North Side. Her door was always open for everyone to enjoy her famous red sauce, wedding soup, chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls and so much more. At school, her children’s brown bag lunches often went missing, and for the holidays, the teacher’s gift was not an apple, but a jar of hot peppers.

Her other hobbies included gardening and canning, sewing, cross stitching, reading and playing bocce with the girls at Mount Carmel in Lowellville, where she was a member of the Becker Funeral Home Bocce League.

A lifetime member of Christ Our Savior Parish at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Struthers, Joanne volunteered her time as a Eucharistic minister, serving on the Altar and Rosary Society, volunteering at bingo and working the festival selling pies.

Joanne had a big heart and nurturing spirit and loved her family, but she also sincerely cared for those less fortunate or those who struggled. For many years she volunteered her time at St. Vincent de Paul and was especially proud of her service as an Al-Anon leader for over 20 years.

Joanne’s kindness and love reached beyond family and friends to many people in the community, and those she touched are much more fortunate today.

Her husband, Anthony, whom she was married to for over 52 years, passed away Aug. 12, 2005. She leaves one daughter, Judith Coloutes of Struthers; four sons, Anthony and Joseph DeLisio, both of Lowellville, David (Lynda) DeLisio of Youngstown and William (Donna) DeLisio of Twinsburg; one daughter-in-law, Mary DeLisio; one sister, Donna Moulder of St. Clairsville; 10 grandchildren, Lee (Katterli) and Elizabeth Coloutes, Rebecca (Christopher) Spanos, Michael (Jessie), Gia (Brandon), Paul, Anthony, John and Daniel DeLisio, and Joseph Lynd; and four great-grandchildren, Leo, Parker, Nellie and Jude.

In addition to her parents and husband, Joanne was preceded in death by her son, Patrick Christopher DeLisio, on Dec. 2, 2021; three brothers, Edward, James and Ronald Aeppli; and three sisters, Dorothy Hughes, Nettie Lee Williams and Lillian Miles.

Friends will be received 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, and 9:30 a.m. until time of the prayer service at 10:15 a.m. Saturday, at the Cunningham-Becker Funeral Home in Poland.

A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 a.m. Saturday, at St. Nicholas Church in Struthers, with Fr. Philip Rogers officiating.

Contributions may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Condolences may be sent at www.beckerobits.com.

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