Longtime Guadalajara resident Joanne Alice Chambers died March 3 at the age of 78 after suffering an illness requiring her to go to Providence Portland hospital in her home city of Portland, Oregon, a few days earlier.
Chambers was born July 26, 1934, in Portland, the first of three children of James and Phylis Yochim Chambers. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Oregon. In 1957, after her graduation, she came to Guadalajara to teach English, at the invitation of her college roommate Jackie Edwards, who married famed Tonala ceramicist Ken Edwards. Joanne planned to stay for six months. She stayed nearly 56 years.
Chambers loved Guadalajara and taught English at the Instituto Cultural Mexicano-Norteamericano and privately. She was a political activist and liked to discuss political issues. She believed socialism was the solution to injustice, a theme she was very enthusiastic about and one that probably caused her to live austerely while donating generously to individuals and institutions such as Amnesty International. She participated in local groups of Democrats. She helped others and, even when she was fragile in her later years, worried little about herself.
She returned to Portland regularly to vacation with her brother Donald and his wife Juanita.
She had many devoted, lifelong friends among Mexicans and expatriates, though some preceded her in death including her common law husband, Richard LaPon. She was a regular participant in the cultural radio show of Yolanda Zamora. In her later years, her favorite activities were to see art films at the Ex Convento del Carmen and go to the Jalisco Symphony Orchestra. She read a broad range of nonfiction. In addition, she had a great love of animals.
She was preceded in death by her two brothers, John and Donald. She leaves behind seven nieces and nephews.
Chambers was once a member of a local Unitarian congregation and, from the late 1990s until her death, attended St. Mark’s Anglican Church.
A memorial Mass will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at St. Mark’s Anglican church in Guadalajara, corner of Aztecas and Chichimecas in Colonia Monraz.