For Joanne Bethlahmy, education was the key to accessing the beauty and wonder of the world. Her wanderlust was ignited at 11 years old when she traveled extensively with her family. In college, she explored much of Europe while also earning a degree in history. In her postgraduate studies, she graduated near the top of her class from Hastings College of Law while also earning an M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkley. These degrees led Joanne into a successful career in marketing and business strategy, making new friends wherever she went, challenging herself daily and earning accolades and praise from clients and colleagues regularly.

Joanne lived life to the fullest and was certainly the embodiment of charting one’s own path. It was not lost on her that the education and life skills that allowed her to achieve so much were denied to so many children, especially girls, around the world.

Joanne was passionate about opportunities for women, literacy, and reading, and she focused her charitable giving in these spaces. As a detail-oriented person, Joanne made sure to have an up-to-date will in place and researched several non-profits carefully before deciding which organizations to include in her plans.

Joanne lived an incredibly rich life and was surrounded by the love of her close friends and family when she peacefully passed away in October 2020. One of the gifts she included in her will was designated for Room to Read’s greatest need, providing more than 16,000 students with essential literacy and education equality support.

Joanne’s brilliance and passion live on in the students whose lives are forever improved by her gift, as well as in her closest friends and family, who remember her creative spirit, loyalty to loved ones, commitment to quality, excellence in everything she did, and especially, her kindness.

Special thanks to Pat Williams for sharing these lovely memories of her dear friend, Joanne Bethlahmy.