JoAnn Thebolt Berridge

She grew up in Mount Shasta, California as a dedicated student and musician, playing the clarinet, piano, and organ, surrounded by extended family and working in the family store, Marconi’s Melody Mart. After Mount Shasta she attended Cal Berkeley where she pledged Alpha Delta Pi and lived for four years.

JoAnn thrived at Cal in student government and her sorority, and she achieved the highest academic honors, delivering a commencement address in Memorial Stadium titled “Falsehood, Fear, and Freedom”. She bled Blue and Gold for life.

Post graduation, she taught at San Ramon High School in Danville, California. It was there, while her class was singing German songs, that history teacher Ronald Berridge knocked on the door asking to quiet the noise. They married nine months later, a vow that would last 65 years.

The couple bought their only house in Belmont, California, where they moved with infant son George and welcomed son Eric in 1968. She became a homemaker and volunteered for civic activities, including the City Council, School Board, and the Belmont Heights Homeowners Association, all while making sure the children’s school work met her lofty standards. Daughter Sarah, the “caboose,” was born in 1978.

She returned to work and her passion for education at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, rising to Director of Admissions. In 2002 she received her Doctorate in Higher Education from her beloved Berkeley, thereafter nicknamed “Dr. Pasta,” a nod to her culinary talents and famous Cal football tailgates. Her career lasted into her seventies, including positions with the Stanford Medical and Business Schools, and later she counseled junior college students and volunteered for various causes, including working the polls at every local election.

JoAnn led a life dedicated to family, work, communities, and education. She and Ron traveled extensively and lived in Europe on multiple occasions. She was ever present, planning every occasion, cooking every meal, and navigating every situation. She was a self-made hard driver who never complained, even when diagnosed with cancer in 2016. She managed her disease masterfully receiving incredible support from the Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and “Bonnies Babes.”

JoAnn is survived by husband Ron; children George (Christina), Eric (Melissa), and Sarah Elliott (David); sisters Marian and Catherine; grandchildren Olivia, Emmeline, Charlie, Jamison, Alexa, George and Ren; and beloved Marconi and Fontana cousins, who will miss her dearly at reunions in Mount Shasta.

Go Bears. Fiat Lux. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: https://events.go2.org/campaigns/Tribute-to-JoAnn-Berridge