Joanne Downes Whealton

Loved Family, Music, Nature

JoAnne Downes Whealton, 89, of Milton, passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her loving family on Friday, March 1, 2024. JoAnne was born on May 11, 1934, in Brunswick, GA to the late John Schoch and Joan (Woodworth) Downes.

JoAnne’s family moved to Rehoboth Beach when she was a young child, when the roads were still dirt, and when her family home in Henlopen Acres was considered the country. She attended Rehoboth schools from first grade to graduation in 1952 and was a life member of Epworth UMC, Rehoboth Beach.

JoAnne’s parents instilled in her a lifelong passion for academics and learning. She greatly enjoyed history, astrology, classic movies, and cooking. (She was a fabulous cook.) Her beach life childhood enabled her to be a fearless ocean swimmer. JoAnne was a Sussex County nature-lover, especially caring for animals and both pet and stray cats during her lifetime.

Family tradition carries a love for the arts and music. JoAnne was an accomplished pianist and vocalist, serving in the bell choir and chancel choir for Epworth and St. Marks UMC.

She derived fierce happiness from the accomplishments of her family and a close-knit extended family. JoAnne’s dearest legacy remains within them, who embraced a lasting and multi-generational bond.

She is preceded in death by her brother John Michael Downes, grandson David Matthew Scharff, nephew Brian Lee Downes, great nephew Chad Christopher Long and sister-in-law Jean Lynch Downes.

She will be greatly missed by her daughter Bridget Downes Buckaloo of Lewes; a long-lost daughter Barbara Kay Donithan (born Allison Suzanne Downes) of Milton; her siblings Dana Downes of Milton, Lucy Downes Casey(David) of Cocoa Beach, FL, and Oliver Lee Downes (Jeanne) of Melbourne, FL; her five grandchildren Maren Lucy Buckaloo, Richard Quinn Buckaloo, Sloane Elizabeth Buckaloo, Christopher Michael Colpo all of Lewes, and Christopher Randolph Scharff of Blue Eye, MI; as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, a large extended family and many, many friends.

A celebration of JoAnne’s life will be held on Friday, March 8, 2024, at 11:00am in the chapel of Short

Funeral Services, 416 Federal St. Milton, DE 19968. Interment is private. Online condolences may be sent at https://www.shortfuneralservicesandcremation.com/

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in JoAnne’s honor to: Milton Cat Snippers,

https://www.miltoncatsnippers.org/ Village Volunteers, https://villagevolunteer.org/ or to Beebe

Healthcare Foundation, https://www.beebehealthcare.org/donate