Obituary of Joan A. Brohmer

Resident of Santa Cruz Joan A. Brohmer left us on Mother's Day, May 14, 2017, after a long battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Joan Avanelle Mausshardt was born on September 22, 1938 to George Edward and Nadine Lavelle (Wood) Mausshardt in Palo Alto, California, their only child. She was born with that spark for life that had her always out and about. Unofficially, Joan used stepfather C. Damon's surname in her youth. Joan A. Damon graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School in 1956. Joan met and married Paul Otto Brohmer, Jr., in 1957. Together they had three children: Robert Paul, Perry Edward, and Elizabeth "Betsy" Ann Recordon. Joan was a stay-at-home mother until divorcing in 1975. Then started Joan's great adventure: she started working at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic as a receptionist, and she joined some local hiking, backpack, and bicycle riding groups. From there she planned many exciting adventures and made new friends. She went to night school and upgraded her skills to include drafting. With this skill she joined the ranks in Silicon Valley's high-tech industries, first designing PC boards and later learning to design by CAD. All the while Joan continued in her love of the outdoors, travel and adventure. In the final ten years of her working career she was the office manager at her son Perry's machine shop. Joan had always loved the Santa Cruz area and moved to her home in the Sorrento Oaks mobile home park in the late 1990s. She was never one to waste a day, with every day a new adventure, whether in the garden or around the world - a life where the unexpected was accepted as just another adventure. Joan leaves behind her three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren as well as her loving partner, Rudy Hoffman. She will be greatly missed. The celebration of Joan's life will be held Sunday, June 11, 2017 at 2 PM at the Sorrento Oaks Senior Park Clubhouse, 800 Brommer Street, Santa Cruz, CA. Carpooling is encouraged.