JOANNE VALLEY

SHOREHAM — Joanne Valley, age 91, of Shoreham, Vt., passed away on May 11, 2024, peacefully. Joanne was born in Shoreham on Sept. 4, 1932, to Herbert and Alice Dudley. Joanne’s father operated the country store, and her grandfather ran the Shoreham Inn. Her favorite hobbies as a child were climbing trees and riding bicycles.

She graduated from Shoreham High School in 1950 and married Clifford Valley of Shoreham on Sept. 28 of that same year. Clifford started his own auto repair shop in Shoreham while Joanne raised five boys. Joanne was a stay at-home mom until her youngest son Peter entered school. She then started working part-time at the Shoreham Post Office. Soon she was the full-time postmaster in Shoreham. She really liked the job because she got all the town “news” straight away. Joanne retired in 1992. However, Joanne did not sit around. She helped her son Bill raise two granddaughters, Lisa and Jennifer, and then her great-grandchildren.

Joanne enjoyed blackberry picking, jigsaw puzzles and baking. Her reverse chocolate chip cookies were a hit across four generations. She was smart as a whip and had an inordinate amount of common sense. She wasn’t fooled by much, by world events, politicians or teenagers. Most of all though, she excelled at being a mom. A comforter and advocate always. A hug, or a story, a loan or a push on a swing came first before she ever thought of herself. She never stopped loving, never turned her back, and never gave up on her kids, no matter the circumstances.

Joanne was predeceased by her husband Clifford and son Jeff. She is survived by her sons Tom, Brian, Bill, and Peter, and her grandchildren Vanessa, Stephanie, Lisa, Jennifer, and little Pete, and her great grandchildren.◊