Obituary of Joanne Marie Gerbrands

Joanne Marie Gerbrands, a retired nurse and dear mother and granny, passed away on  April 23, 2023 at the age of 78. Joanne was born to her parents Guido and Mildred in Somerville. Her family moved to Burlington, where Joanne grew up. After graduating from high school, Joanne went to nursing school. She had a wonderful career working at Newton Wellesley Hospital. Joanne married her beloved husband Paul, a former Burlington, MA Firefighter, in 1965 and the two settled in Burlington. Together, they raised their four children and made a wonderful home together.  Joanne’s life has not been the same since his passing in 2020.

To Joanne, family was everything, and that included their family dog, Ben.  She loved to cook and bake, but never thought she had done a good enough job… until she tried it, to which she often exclaimed, “actually, this is delicious! ”. Joanne’s famous recipes were a meat sauce for pasta, meat pie, baked blueberry muffins, pecan rolls, and many more. She believed that food was important because it brought the family together. Meals were meant to be enjoyed with family, and she loved having everyone over to share them. Sunday dinners at her house were a time for the family to come together, and catch up from the week.  

Joanne’s happy place was up at Sebago Lake in Maine. She and Paul had a cottage, with a boat that Paul took immaculate care of that Daniel still has today. Joanne would always ride the boat with a great big smile and one hand handling her hat down from blowing off in the wind. Paul always wanted to eventually move down to Florida, but Joanne was a little more hesitant to leave. In 2015, when Joanne knew her kids and grandkids were independent that she was ready to make the change. The two settled in a home in Bonita Springs, Florida, just south of Fort Myers, a perfect spot for a die-hard New England Sports fan to still be close to the Red Sox spring training facility. Joanne and Paul had a beautiful and peaceful life in Florida. Joanne loved to walk along the beach and collect seashells, while Paul would sit in his beach chair, enjoy a beer, and rest his eyes. 

Joanne was the beloved wife of 55 years to the late Paul. She was the loving Mother to Janet Wetzonis & husband Joe of Melbourne, FL, Elaine Zimmermann & husband Dan of Standish, ME, David Gerbrands of Boston, and Sheryl Gerbrands of Newport, TN. Joanne was the cherished Granny or “Granny Pants” to Sean, Lauren and her husband David, Paul, Ann Marie and her husband Kevin, Thomas and Daniel. She was the dear sister to Richard, Ginny, Janet, Linda, and the late Robert Guidoboni.

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, April 27, from 4 to 7pm at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, where the family will honor Joanne and Paul together, 43 Winn Street, Burlington. A memorial service for Joanne and Paul will be held on Friday, April 28, at 10 AM at St. Malachy’s Church, 99 Bedford Street, Burlington. Burial will be private. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Joanne’s name may be made to Dana Farber at www.dana-farber.org . 

For online guestbook, obituary, service info and tribute video, please visit www.sullivanfuneralhome.net