JOANN GATTI
JoAnn Martha (Albert) Gatti was born Nov. 16, 1936, the daughter of Joseph Anthony and Martha Jean (Shafer) Albert in Wheeling, WV. JoAnn attended Cathedral Grade School and graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in 1954. She was also a graduate of the Wheeling Hospital School of Nursing, Class of 1957. Later in life, JoAnn graduated from The Ohio State University (’80) with a Master of Arts in Education. JoAnn was employed as a registered nurse in various capacities and served as a school nurse for 25 yrs with Southwestern City Schools in Grove City, OH.
On Dec. 28, 1957, JoAnn married Dario Gatti of Shadyside, OH, at Blessed Trinity Church on Wheeling Island. They had four children: son Bernard (deceased), daughters Marcia JoAnn, Cynthia Angela (deceased), and Carolyn Catherine. JoAnn and Dario settled in Grove City, where they raised their family for thirty years before relocating to Arizona. Following the death of her husband, JoAnn resided in Chino Valley, AZ and later moved to Chapin, SC in 2020 to care for Cynthia prior to her death in 2021. She remained in Chapin and lived with her daughter Carolyn. She was a devoted member of St. Catherine Laboure Church and was active in the Ladies of St. Catherine and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. While in Chapin she was a member of Our Lady of the Lake Church.
JoAnn was a member of the Wheeling Hospital School of Nursing Alumni and a lifetime member of The Ohio State University Alumni Association. She was a charter member of La Sertoma in Grove City, Ohio. JoAnn and Dario were active in Western Square Dance Clubs. She will be remembered for her passion and care of those less fortunate, her deep love for her family and friends, and her kind and compassionate spirit.
She is survived by her daughters, Marcia Gatti Petz (Daniel) of Prescott, AZ, and Carolyn Gatti DuChene (Steven) of Chapin, SC; and daughter-in-law, Judith (Catozza) Gatti of Grove City, OH. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Nicholas Gatti (Jenny) of MI; Vincent Gatti of OH; James Garner (Brigitte) of AZ; Marty Garner, engaged of WA; Lauren (Wiley) Love (Gregory) of SC; Kelsi (DuChene) Gannon (Joseph) of SC; and Tessa (DuChene) Doherty (Ryan) of TX. She is further survived by four great-grand- sons: Lane and Barrett Gatti of MI, and Hudson and Noah Love of SC. Also surviving is her brother, Michael Albert (Laura Lee) of SC along with several nieces, nephews, and their families.
JoAnn was preceded in death by her husband, Dario; her son, Bernard; her daughter, Cynthia and her son-in-law John Garner; her parents, Joseph and Martha Albert; her grandparents; and her brother Joseph Albert and sister- in-law Mary Ellen Albert.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on April 10, 2026 at 11:00 am at St. Catherine Laboure Church, 2062 N. Highway 89, Chino Valley, AZ 86323. Burial will take place at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Prescott, AZ. Please send memorial donations to St. Catherine Laboure Church (see above).