Obituary
She was born on August 16, 1940, in Barren County, KY, the daughter of the late Bobby Lawson and Clorine Jones Lawson. Joanne was valedictorian of her high school class at Temple Hill School, and a graduate of Freed-Hardeman College and Western Kentucky University. She was a long-time educator in the Hopkins County KY school system, teaching at Nebo, Waddill Avenue, Hall Street, and Pride Elementary schools. During her time at Pride, she developed a classroom character for her many future children’s books named Buford the Big Eared Mouse. Through Buford, Joanne helped children deal with a wide variety of issues better, including her two published books, Buford Listens and Respectfully Yours Buford.
She devoted her retirement years to her many hobbies and interests. Joanne curated one of the largest collections of darning eggs in the US and created numerous quilts with family and antique fabric pieces. She was always on the lookout for mouse-related accessories, mastering the art of last-minute eBay bids and flea market hunting. She was also interested in the history of her hometown area in Barren County, KY, taking great pleasure in finding unique geographical features and learning more about the genealogy of the personalities from the area.
Joanne is survived by her son, Thomas Nelson Sneed II and his wife, Whitney Bair-Sneed of Topeka, KS, along with their children, Henry Nelson Sneed, Charles Allen Sneed, Penelope Bair Sneed, and Theodore Thomas Sneed. She is also survived by her sisters, Nadine Lowe, Marion Meredith, Martha Ford, and Leoma Copas; her stepdaughter, Leigh Ann Michael; and step-grandsons, Nate Michael and Greyson Soloman Crawford.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, Thomas Nelson Sneed, who died in May 1986; and her second husband, Neville Lee Crawford, who passed away in March 2025.
Visitation will be from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, in the chapel of Harris Funeral Home in Madisonville, KY. A private burial will follow.
Joanne loved watching shows on PBS about Kentucky. Therefore, in lieu of flowers, the family requests considering donations in Joanne’s memory to Kentucky Educational Television (KET), https://ket.org/
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