Joan Anne Fasani
July 21, 1939-Feb. 18, 2022
Jennings, Florida

Joan was born in San Francisco, California on July 21, 1939 to the late Louis Fasani and Patricia (O’Brien) Fasani. She was the eldest of 5 children: Joan, Lolly, Steve, Judy and Kathy. She grew up in Palo Alto where her family owned the local carpet store. She graduated from Palo Alto High School in the Class of 1957, after attending St. Thomas Aquinas. Joan was one of three women in the very first Class in the history of the University of Santa Clara to admit women. This is where she met her first husband, Carlton Vanderbeek Jr. of Sunnyvale, who, given that ratio, considered himself quite fortunate.

From the age of 6, Joan was called to be a nurse, dressing up in a World War Two era nurse's uniform her grandmother (also a nurse) had sewn for her. She went on to spend the better part of 6 decades working as a nurse, and, at 82, was still actively working as a nurse when she died. She obtained her ASN in her 20's, but always wanted a BSN, so in her 70's she went back to school and obtained both a BSN and an MSN. Her career as an RN included working in the ER, ICU, CCU, and even Pediatric Hospice. She spent her final years ministering to the sick at the Hamilton Correctional Institute in Florida, where she was a cherished part of the staff. Her kindness and compassion live on as examples to those who worked with her, helping both patients and families heal.

Before their divorce, Joan lived in Newport Beach with her second husband, the late Robert Mills, a World War Two veteran. She is survived by her two sons, Mark Vanderbeek of Laguna Beach and his wife Lisa , Bob Mills of Georgia, her grandson Teague Vanderbeek and his wife Chelsea, her sisters Lolly (Fasani) Osborne of Palo Alto and Kathy (Fasani) Gerrish of Kauai, and an extended family of nieces, nephews , great nephews and cousins.

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