WILMINGTON — JoAnn Stanley Buck, cherished wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed peacefully on August 03, 2026, while in long term care following a prolonged battle with dementia.
Born on August 31, 1947, in Wilmington, NC, JoAnn was the beloved daughter of Louis Wade Stanley, Sr., and Mabel Irene “Jackie” Rogers. She was predeceased by her parents and three brothers, Louis Wade Stanley, Jr., Roger Clarence Stanley, and Fredrick Arthur Stanley, all of whom she truly cherished and missed dearly.
She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Danny Richard Buck. Also Surviving are their children, Guy Thomas Buck and wife Elizabeth, Wendy Ann Buck-Weimer, daughter-in-law DeeAnn Buck, brothers-in-law Martin Buck (Ava), Gregory Buck (Anne), a loving sister-in-law, Maria A. Stanley, and two nieces, Christina Greene, and Heidi Carlson (Billy). Her legacy continues with grandchildren Kamrina Weimer (Alex), Keigan Akers (Megan), Spencer Buck (Rachel), Nicholas Buck (Mary Beth), Madison Buck (Blake), Tabitha Dorceus (Dhimitri), Ashlie Newman (DJ), Olivia Turner (Walt), and Angus McTeer (Rachel), along with 12 great-grandchildren.
Until her health prevented it, JoAnn was an active member of her community. As a teen she achieved the rank of Gold Bar in the Girl Scouts of America, served as a Candy Striper at Cape Fear Hospital, sang in the choir and was a member and president of the EYC at St. Andrew’s On-the-Sound Episcopal Church. JoAnn was a Brownie Troop Leader while on Governor’s Island New York in the mid 1970’s, a member of the Pender County Shrine Ladies, and communicant of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Burgaw.
She was an active member of Beta Sigma Phi International Sorority for over 20 years and achieved the highest and final rank of Torchbearer. She loved cooking, sewing and all kinds of arts and crafts. She was an avid reader and found joy in cooking, homemaking, motherhood, her grandchildren, pets and travel. She and Danny were able to take two cruises and several rail trips after retirement. She cherished her two trips to Europe, one with daughter Wendy and one with granddaughter Madison. As a Coast Guard wife she travelled extensively in the U.S. and spent two years overseas in Puerto Rico.
A 1965 graduate of New Hanover High School, JoAnn continued her education at Delgado Community College in New Orleans, and Saint Leo College in Savannah, GA. She worked 9 years as a Veterinary Surgical Tech in New Orleans and Savannah, worked as a District Manager for the Savannah News Press, and spent 18 years as a caterer and commissary manager with Cinema Catering in Wilmington.
She will be remembered for her loyalty, friendship and willingness to help others. Her organizational skills were highly developed, she believed in “a place for everything and everything in its place”.
The family wishes to extend heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated staff at Northchase Nursing and Rehab Center and Cardinal Hospice for their compassionate care of JoAnn and the warmth and courtesy extended to the family during JoAnn’s illness.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, Aug 29, 2026, at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Burgaw, NC, 28425 with refreshments in the Parish Hall afterward at noon. Interment of the cremains will take place in the family plot at 2:00 pm at St. Andrew’s On-the-Sound Episcopal Church, 101 Airlie Road, Wilmington, NC, 28403.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in JoAnn’s memory to Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church in Burgaw, or to the Wounded Warriors Project, causes close to her heart.
The family wishes all who knew her to remember JoAnn as the vibrant, caring and loving soul she was, and to honor her memory with kindness and joy to those around them.
