Joan S. Trefry Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Joan Sue “Joanie” Welty Trefry entered this world on September 18, 1932. This black-haired, blue-eyed beauty was the delight of her parents, Joe and Sue Welty, although Papa Joe may have been expecting a son: he dubbed his new infant “Johnny” and called her that for the entirety of his life. Joanie was 13 years younger than her big sister Mary Jean and 10 years younger than her brother Joey. Sadly, Joanie’s mother passed away when she was just 8 years old. Big Sister Mary Jean returned home from college to watch over her baby sister, until Joe’s second marriage to Helen Sheehan. Joanie spent her early years surrounded by animals: dogs, cats, and chickens (including a rooster named Cuddles). But one critter stood out as more than a pet; Joanie’s beloved horse Sally was her constant companion, friend and babysitter. Many a day they would ride off for hours together, up through the orchards that lined Orchard Avenue in those days, to the foothills and often over Saddle Rock before returning home. Joanie often spoke of a time when she and Sally rode all the way to their family cabin at Lake Chelan. Joanie’s years at Wenatchee High School centered on fun with friends. She made many life-long friendships as a member of the infamous “Dirty 27” club. Having a dad who was the owner of the local Ford dealership meant that Joanie got to drive her friends around in some pretty swanky cars. She also caught the eye of a tall, handsome football and basketball player, but their story didn’t ignite until a few years later. Joanie attended Mills College in California, where she met her best friend, Harriette “Pete” Peterson. The two friends had many adventures together, the most notable being an epic road trip on the summer break after their second year. They had been hired to work in a Girl Scout summer camp in New Hampshire, Joanie as a swim instructor. Their summer travels took them to 46 of the contiguous 48 states over the course of three months. She and Harriette remained close friends all of Joanie’s life. While Joanie was attending Mills College, Lloyd Trefry, a former Wenatchee High School alum who was serving as Military Police in the Air Force, began wooing Joanie from afar. Long phone conversations and a few in-person visits ensued over several months. One day, Joanie received a package in the mail—a carton of cigarettes with an engagement ring inside! Joanie and Lloyd were married the day after Lloyd’s 21st birthday on June 13, 1953 in Wenatchee, then returned to Lloyd’s post in Limestone, Maine. There they celebrated the birth of their first child, Stuart. After Lloyd’s enlistment was over, they moved back to Washington State and eventually settling in Ephrata, where Lloyd remained in law enforcement. Joanie gave birth to their two daughters, Lisa and Katy. Later, when they moved to Spokane, Joanie found what she would often call her most favorite home: a big white house with a chicken coop, a barn and a pasture. She quickly built up her family of critters again, acquiring dogs, cats, chickens, a canary, tropical fish, two burros and two Arabian horses. At this time Joanie worked as a receptionist for a local pediatrician, and she and Lloyd were involved in the JayCees organization. In 1969 Joanie and Lloyd moved back to Wenatchee. Joanie began working for Dr. Paul Lyons. She enjoyed helping out with Lisa and Katy’s Rainbow Girls activities, and became the local chapter’s Mother Advisor. Joanie was an avid reader of edge-of-your-seat murder mysteries, and never missed an episode of her favorite soap opera, “The Young and the Restless” (which she dubbed “the Young and the Rest of Us”). Every day she would put out food for the local quail and squirrels. She and Lloyd were members of Gyro, and volunteered with Meals on Wheels. The family took many fun camping trips, and after the kids were out of the nest, she and Lloyd cruised to Hawaii, Alaska, the Panama Canal, and Australia. Joanie’s favorite place in the world was the Oregon coast, and she visited every chance she could. Joanie was a devoted mother, and was pleased that her children grew up to be successful, upstanding adults. Katy’s husband Rick would tell you that he was Joanie’s favorite son-in-law, with Lisa’s husband Ralph coming in a close second! Joanie and Stu’s wife Sheree shared a love of books and cats. Joanie loved her kids, but truth be told, the true loves of Joanie’s life were her grandsons Aaron, Brian, Michael and Luke. She and Lloyd attended every game, concert, awards ceremony and school assembly for each of the boys. Joanie fell head over heels for her granddaughters-in-law Amber, Stephanie and Kate, and she quickly became their favorite in return. With the birth of each of her five great grandchildren, Joanie would proclaim each one as the most beautiful the world had ever seen. After Lloyd passed away in 2018, Joanie moved to an apartment which she shared with two kittens. In October of 2020, Joanie took an unfortunate fall and fractured her back. Her last two years were difficult ones, where Joanie did her best to get through her days while battling chronic pain. Joanie passed away on July 9, 2022 at the age of 89. Joanie was preceded in death by her parents Joseph Welty and Susan Ewert Welty, her step-mother Helen Sheehan Welty, her sister Mary Jean Cadman, her brother Joe Welty Jr. and her husband Lloyd J. Trefry. Joanie is survived by her son Stuart Trefry and wife Sheree, her daughter Lisa Congdon and husband Ralph, her daughter Katy Luttrell and husband Rick, grandson Aaron Luttrell and wife Stephanie, grandson Luke Luttrell and wife Kate, grandson Brian Congdon and wife Amber, grandson Michael Congdon, great grandson Rowan Congdon, great granddaughters Hazel and Quinn Congdon, great granddaughter Baker Luttrell, great grandson Brody Luttrell. Memorial Service for Joan Trefry will be held Saturday, July 23 at 4PM in the chapel at Jones & Jones - Bett’s Funeral Home. Afterward, family and friends are invited to attend an informal gathering at the home of Lisa and Ralph Congdon.

Tributes

Joan S. Trefry

September 18, 1932 - July 9, 2022