Roberta (JoAnn) Elsbury, 91, of
Englewood, Florida, passed away at home on Friday, February 7, 2025. Born October 16, 1933, in New Castle, Indiana to James and Paulene (Moss) Crim, JoAnn and her late husband Richard (Dick), moved to Sarasota, Florida in 1981 and then to their beloved Englewood home in 1995.
JoAnn graduated from New Castle High School and attended Ball State University. JoAnn and Dick were married in 1954 in New Castle and enjoyed 63 years of marriage before Dick passed away on March 6, 2018. They raised their family in Traverse City, Michigan, where JoAnn worked as a secretary at Frankenmuth Insurance. The family spent many happy summers at their cottage on Elk Lake, but one of her happiest memories was when they packed up the U-Haul and left northern Michigan for sunny Florida.
After moving to Sarasota, JoAnn worked for the Sarasota County Schools and retired from the Sarasota County Technical Institute in 1996. She and Dick embraced their retirement years traveling to visit their daughters and spending their summers in Franklin, North Carolina. They enjoyed many fun adventures in the small mountain community.
JoAnn loved her dogs, Molly, and Tiffany. After they were gone, seeing any dog always put a smile on her face.
JoAnn cherished visits from her family, the monthly Ladies’ Luncheons with the Pine Lake neighborhood group and lunches with her work friends from VoTech. She was a voracious reader and enjoyed her Word Search puzzles, and cheering on the Purdue Boilermaker basketball and Florida State Seminole football teams. She loved getting her hair and nails done on Dearborn Street and going to lunch at her favorite local restaurants in Englewood. The family has been so thankful for all the kind words that those who knew JoAnn have shared with them over the past days.
She is survived by her two daughters Elizabeth A. (Tom) Moen of Prior Lake, Minnesota and Karen M. Elsbury of Alexandria, Virginia; two granddaughters, Anna, and Sara Moen; one sister-in-Law, Sara (Elsbury) Morgan of Denver, Colorado; and one niece and nephew.
A Memorial Service will be held at the Englewood United Methodist Church, 700 East Dearborn Street, Englewood, on Friday, February 28th at 2:00, with Pastor Don Burlock officiating.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the Suncoast Humane Society or Englewood Meals on Wheels.
Arrangements are by Englewood Community Funeral Home with Private Crematory.
