Obituary of Jo Ann de Bruin

Jo Ann de Bruin, age 81, died on August 28, 2013 in Albuquerque , New Mexico . She was born on March 26, 1932 in Wichita , Kansas to Gilbert and Blanche Buck. Her father took over a sales route in Roswell , New Mexico and brought the family there. After a year at New Mexico State University , she and her first husband, Farrell Watson, managed a ranch near Fort Stanton , where she was quite content with horses and her first son, Steve. She then had another son, Michael, and a daughter, Julie. In 1963, the family moved to Portales so she and her husband could attend Eastern New Mexico University . JoAnn graduated with a Bachelors degree in Special Education in 1973 and a Master� degree in Elementary Education in 1976. JoAnn met her third husband, Dr. Hendrik deBruin, at Eastern, and they and daughter Julie moved for Hank� work to South Bend, Indiana and then to Charleston, South Carolina, and finally to Gallup, New Mexico in 1982. At each of these places, JoAnn taught at public schools and retired from teaching in 1994. At Gallup , she volunteered for the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial and spent a great deal of time participating in the Elks and Masons. She had a passion for her dogs, including her Shelties and at last her �olly�Shih-Tzu Bitsy, and worked on her art and crafts. She and Hank moved to Albuquerque in 2006, and lived at Bear Canyon Retirement Center , and later at Atria Vista del Rio . She enjoyed traveling, the Red Hat Ladies, and working on her art and jewelry. JoAnn is survived by her son Steve Watson (and Brooke) of Albuquerque, daughter Julie Watson (and Holly) of Corrales, son Michael Watson (and Monica, and granddaughters Alyssa and Michaela) of Oxnard , California . The family would like to thank her friends Ena Soflin, Susan Landers, Don and Ruth Holland, and Twila and Jim Moots; Reverend Layloni Drake, Dr. Ellen Kim, Dr. Thomas Dimperio, Dr. Mark Erasmus, Roland Moore; and the staff of Atria Vista del Rio . A memorial service will take place at Asbury United Methodist Church in Albuquerque on Saturday, September 21st, at 1:30 p.m. You are invited to donate in her memory to: Animal Humane New Mexico, 615 Virginia Street SE , Albuquerque NM 87108 ; American Humane Association, 1400 16th Street NW, Suite 360 , Washington , D.C. 20036 ; or Ballut Abyad Shrine Center , 6600 Zuni Road SE , Albuquerque NM 87108 . If you wish to send a remembrance, please send it to P.O. Box 3096 , Corrales , NM 87048 .