Farry was born in Toledo, Ohio on September 14, 1931. This was during the time of the Great Depression and after things had become somewhat back to normal after WWI. Her mother married her father for a brief time and was granted a divorce from him when Joanne was about 2 years old. Joanne's Mother worked at Ford Motor Industries as VP for an unknown department. But as the hours were long and demanded so much time away from Joanne, she moved Joanne to her parents' farm in Van Buren, Ohio. Here Joanne learned and loved the simpler things in life such as caring for the animals on the farm, helping her grandparents with the never-ending chores that a farm demands. Joanne had also been reared for being kind, understanding, compassionate, and obedient. She remained with her grandparents, Arron Butler Ferguson and his wife Frankie Inez McNutt, until she was around 12 years old. After which, she went to live with her mother's sister, Floss. She remained there she turned 18 when she graduated from Van Buren High School. Joanne Graduated from Van Buren High School in 1949 as Salutatorian of her class. Joanne had thought she would become a nurse, so she applied and was accepted to Bowling Green University in Ohio. She began taking more secretarial classes from the beginning and sometime around her junior year she was offered a position to work at Travelers' Insurance. She began working and never looked back.

She changed jobs and began working at Allied Chemical around 1959 and this is where she met her soon to be husband, Austin M Thornton, Jr. He would constantly make excuses to come and get coffee near where she worked so he could see her. He was absolutely smitten by her. That holiday season, he offered her a ride home during Christmas vacation and then picked her back up to go back to work. He said, it was not a problem because "it was on the way." Her Family lived in Toledo and his in Cincinnati, so it truly was not "on the way." During their car ride they became good friends, eventually had their first date and married in September 1960. They moved to New Jersey and had a house built but by 1967 Austin was offered a job at Plastic Manufacturing Company in Dallas, Texas, so they moved to Dallas in 1967. They adopted two children, Scott Aaron (1968) and Janey Elizabeth (1970). Joanne was a member of the Spring Fashion Show of the Oak Cliff garden Party in 1968. She was a giving and loving soul. Her Mother and Stepfather moved down to Dallas in 1984 where she cared for Mother, Mrytle Ferguson, until she passed in 1991. In 1993, Austin and Joanne moved from Dallas to Houston to begin a distribution business of Unsaturated Polyester Resin to cultured marble companies in and around the Houston area. They worked for Welborne Thornton Company until September 2009 when they finally retired. Austin was 80 years old when they closed their business and Joanne was 78. Joanne suffered a stroke on Easter Sunday in March of 2016 which impaired her left side. Joanne was always giving all of herself to her family. She was a dedicated wife and mother, and she deserves to be recognized for all her sacrifices and her selflessness. She gave everything she had to her family and never asked for anything in return. She was a true Lady.  She was deeply loved and she will be greatly missed.