Joan Bower Bersani, 94, passed away on July 4, 2020 in Bradenton, Florida, where she had raised her family and lived most of her life.
Joan was born in Oswego, New York to Alice and Frank Bower and raised in Syracuse, New York. Always adventurous, she loved playing outside and getting into mischief. As Joan grew up, she emerged from a tomboy into a stunning beauty. She became a fashion model in her late teens and was always in demand for photoshoots. As Joan was bringing her modeling career to a close, she met the love of her life, Sam Bersani, her husband of 60 years. Always seeking adventure, Joan persuaded her husband to quit his job and go explore the world. Weeks later, they landed in Germany, purchased a Volkswagen Beetle and spent the next six months driving across Europe and North Africa.
Always wanting to be a mother, Joan knew it was time to return to the U.S. and in 1964, she and Sam adopted the first of their two children, Janae Bersani Smith. Three years later, they adopted a son, Kurt Bersani. Janae and Kurt were Joan’s entire life. Her world revolved around them and she loved being a mother. The family moved to Florida in 1973, where Joan eventually worked for a performing arts studio, and then became an artist. Joan was always creative and artistic, but in her early 60’s, she tapped into an amazing, previously-unknown talent for oil painting. Joan created hundreds of paintings over the next couple of decades and grew more skilled and accomplished with each new painting.
After raising her kids, Joan became a grandmother–a role that delighted her. She enjoyed nothing more than playing with her grandchildren and once, she even created a miniature Disney World complete with Cinderella’s Castle and the "Skyway“ aerial tramway. When she and Sam became semi-retired, Joan rekindled her love of travel. They returned to Europe twice, explored Russia, and even went on a month-long adventure to the Far East, including China, Japan and Thailand. Her sister, Janet, was one of her favorite travel partners. Joan and Janet made international shopping into a sport! In Joan’s later years, she loved spending time with Janae and her family in Sarasota and would often travel to Washington, D.C. to visit her son.
Joan is survived by her daughter, Janae (Stanley) Smith; her son, Kurt (Nitin Verma) Bersani; her granddaughter, Jillian (Casey) Rich; her grandsons, Noah Smith and James Lockhart; her daughter-in-law, Jaclyn DuBois and her great-grandchildren Evelyn and Atticus. The family will hold a private memorial service at a later date. Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the Alzheimer’s Foundation (https://alzfdn.org/support-us/donate/). Condolences may be made to www.brownandsonsfuneral.com.
