Joanne Theresa Fleming (nee McCann) formerly of Merrimack, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully on April 28, 2020 due to complications from the Covid-19 virus. Since 2017, she resided at Hanover Hill Health Care Center in Manchester where she received excellent care.

Joanne was a loving mother, nurse, trusted friend, world traveler, voracious reader, bingo maven, diehard Red Sox fan, and beach lover. She lived a very full life with far more highs than lows, and will be remembered for her wry sense of humor and zest for life.

She was born on December 14, 1939 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the eldest daughter of Francis J. McCann and Catherine McCann (nee Thompson). She was an excellent student while attending Worcester public schools, graduating from Commerce High School and then Worcester State Teachers College.

In 1958, she met the love of her life, Patrick Michael Fleming; they married in 1960. Soon after the birth of their first child, the young family moved to Concord, New Hampshire, after Patrick accepted a position with Aetna Life and Casualty Company. At that point in her life, Joanne had never traveled beyond the borders of Massachusetts and viewed moving to New Hampshire - which was still largely wild, with no interstate highways - like moving to Siberia. She would humorously recall that she cried for a week when the decision to move was made.

The family moved south and settled in Merrimack, where they lived for many years. In 1973, with four children under the age of twelve, Joanne bravely returned to school. Upon receiving her nursing degree, she began her career at St. Joseph's Hospital in Nashua, where she would serve for more than 30 years until retiring in 2005.

She was predeceased by her parents and younger sister, Mary, who passed in 2019. She is survived by her four children: Pat (and wife Betsy) Fleming of Essex, Vermont, and their children Carly and Olivia; Shelley Fleming White (and partner Dean Moe) of Goffstown, New Hampshire, and her son Ross, as well as Dean's children Jon, Jordan, and Courtney; Marybeth Fleming Riggs of Southaven, Mississippi; and Sean Fleming (and husband Jamie) of Brooklyn, New York. She also leaves behind her dearest and best friend, Elaine Holt, of Alton Bay, New Hampshire, whom she met in 1964. She is also survived by her younger brother, Paul McCann, of Massachusetts, as well as many loving cousins and friends.

A gathering of friends and family to celebrate Joanne's life will be announced at a later date.