Norfolk will remember Joanne Davis Hohmeister as a quiet but strong woman who was known for her kindness and compassion for family, friends and strangers alike. Joanne died Dec. 27, 2025, in Stamford, just a month after she enjoyed a celebration of her 100th birthday with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Born on Nov. 16, 1925, Joanne spent her childhood years in Teaneck, N.J. She graduated from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt., in 1947 and, in 1949, married Frank Hohmeister, who also grew up in Teaneck. After Frank’s graduation from Wesleyan University in Middletown, they moved to Winsted where they raised three boys: Mark, Kurt and Peter. They lived there for more than 60 years.

Joanne was active in the Church of Christ Congregational in Norfolk for many years, and following Frank’s death in 2015, she moved to the Meadowbrook Apartments, where she lived until four years ago when she relocated to Stamford to be closer to her son Peter.

Although Joanne was a stay-at-home mom when her sons were young, she later served as a substitute teacher at seven different schools in the Winsted area, as a librarian at the Colebrook School and later in Simsbury. As an adult learner, she took several courses at Northwestern Connecticut Community College, including library technology, art history, Portuguese and more. She always had a great passion for learning. She learned to speak Portuguese simply for a trip to Portugal she had planned with a daughter-in-law and became fluent in French due to her trips to France with her husband.

A staunch advocate for world peace, Joanne was a cornerstone of the Winsted Area Peace Action group (formerly known as Winsted Area Nuclear Freeze Group), which advocates for non-violence and nuclear non-proliferation in Northwest Connecticut. Joanne worked with the group to help host local peace fairs, and participated in several peace marches in New York City and Washington, D.C. On most weekends, Joanne could be seen standing vigil in the East End Park in Winsted, holding signs for peace with her fellow peace action group members. She strongly believed in the statement, “The only thing needed for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing.”

Joanne leaves three sons and three daughters-in-law, Mark (Cay), Kurt (Julie) and Peter (Hilary), and five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, two nephews, and one niece.

Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home in Stamford is handling arrangements No services are planned. Memorial donations may be made to Middlebury College, 700 Exchange St., Middlebury, Vt., 05753.