Joanne Oreskovich

Joanne Oreskovich passed away December 7, 2022, in her Helena apartment with her sister, Rosemary, by her side. Joanne was born in Anaconda on February 10,1957 to her parents Joseph A. and Nora D. (Kuburich) Oreskovich.

Joanne attended local Anaconda schools and graduated valedictorian n 1975. She participated in many extracurricular activities including President of Girls Athletic Association and the speech and debate team. She was also Worthy Advisor of the Masonic Order of Rainbow Girls.

Joanne attended the University of Montana and earned a BA in sociology with honors and a BA in cell & molecular biology/premedical science. She then earned a MA in sociology. Joanne further pursued a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Minnesota with her dissertation title: Dimensions of Sex Offender Sanctioning. A case study of the Minnesota Legislature Reforms 1987-1993. She was a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta.

Joanne also had an extensive teaching experience. She was an instructor of sociology at the University of Minnesota from 1990-1996 and a faculty member at Dawson Community College in Glendive, MT from 1984-1986.

Joanne worked eighteen years for the state of Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services as an epidemiologist, research, and data analyst. She was a past director of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System before her retirement in 2018. She was a published author and served as a mediator at the CDC’s national conferences in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington DC on several occasions. She was a member of the American Public Health Association, American Sociological Association, and the Montana Public Health Association.

Joanne was a member of the Serbian Orthodox Church and served as a past church board president. Her Serbian religion and heritage were a major part of her life. She enjoyed traveling to Yugoslavia to visit her grandparents’ birthplaces.

She also enjoyed many excursions to Las Vegas and her keno/slot machine winnings. She was an avid reader and loved solving anagrams, puzzles, and playing scrabble.

But most of all, Joanne will be remembered for her caring ways, her sense of humor, bubbly personality, and her heart-warming smile.

Joanne was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters; Mary Jo and Rosalyn Oreskovich and her grandpa “Timer.”

She is survived by her sister Rosemary Oreskovich, her Aunt Millie Roskilly, and numerous cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in honor of Joanne are suggested to St. George’s Serbian Orthodox Church, 3025 Denver St., San Diego, California 92117 or Shodair Children’s Hospital, P.O. Box 5045, Helena, MT 59604.

A service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, December 15,2022 at Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home in the chapel with Very Reverend Father Brasto Krsic officiating. A one-hour visitation will take place prior to the funeral mass, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Please visit longfellowfinneganriddle.com to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Joanne.

Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home and Cremation Services has been privileged to care for Joanne and her family.