Joanne Lenore Lahiff-Jaffe

On 2/2/24, Joanne Lenore Lahiff-Jaffe died in Manchester, NH after a long battle with auto-immune disease. She was only 71 years old.

Joanne is survived by her father Thomas J. Lahiff; her husband Dr. Jonathan H. Jaffe; her son, Jonathan R. Jaffe; several grandchildren; her sister-in-law Dianne Lahiff; her three nephews Alexander, Andrew, and Robert; her niece, Elizabeth; and her two dogs, Sassy and Spot. She was preceded in death by her brother Thomas J. Lahiff and by her mother, Alice J. Lahiff.

Joanne was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Seaholm High School in Birmingham, MI and went on to attend Michigan State University, where she graduated with honors in 1974 with a degree in Dietetics.  She then earned a Masters degree in Nutrition from Case Western University in 1976, followed later in life by an Associate degree in Nursing from Manchester Community Technical College in 2002.

Joanne married Jonathan in 1976. They met while Jonathan was a medical student at the University of Illinois and Joanne was studying nutrition at Case Western University. They welcomed their son Jonathan R in 1983.

As Joanne herself once wrote, she was privileged to have had a very full life. Her experiences were diverse and involved living in poor conditions in poor neighborhoods as well as living in very wealthy suburbs. While in school, she had just about every job imaginable, from being a go-go dancer in a club, a cocktail waitress, a furniture saleswoman, a bookstore clerk, to an animal sitter. She would go on to receive a full scholarship to graduate school and then hold a professional career in public health as a nutritionist, nurse, health coach, and certified diabetic educator, including twenty years in which she operated her own consulting firm, Bedford Nutrition Consultants. 

Joanne was diagnosed with her first autoimmune disease while in college, and as the years went by she acquired several more chronic diseases. She spent many hours throughout her life in and out of hospitals, undergoing experimental treatments and managing her illnesses. Despite these limitations, Joanne maintained a long and successful career while both raising a family and operating a small home farm. In her last years she became interested in writing; she became a member of writers groups and wrote poetry and prose. As any of her friends would attest to, Joanne was extremely fond of animals and adopted many, including cats, dogs and even goats.  More than anything she loved raising, competing, and showing her horses. Joanne, ever tenacious, never let her illnesses get in the way of her dream of a return to the horse scene. 

Joanne, you will be missed. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the SPCA or to the Lupus Foundation of America.