Joanne E. Jutras, age 45, a longtime Natick resident and massage therapist, died on Monday night, April 16, 2012, at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, just two days shy of her 46th birthday. She was the beloved daughter of Josephine A. (Neufell) Jutras of Natick, and the late George P. Jutras.
Born in Waltham, Joanne came with her family as a child to Natick. She was a 1984 graduate of Natick High School and continued her education with an interest in caring for domestic animals.
Joanne was employed for over fifteen years as a dog groomer with Skipton West in Framingham. In 2005, she decided to follow a new path and enrolled at the Bancroft School of Massage. While there, she continued grooming and began providing massage therapy for hospice patients. For the past several years, Joanne has worked with clients of the Framingham Wellness Center and personal clients at Spa Envy. A caring and kind person who often put others first, Joanne was also a wonderful cook who enjoyed entertaining at home. She possessed a lovely singing voice and shared it with the choir at the First United Methodist Church of Framingham, acting and singing in area plays, and as a member of the Christian band The Messengers. She had most recently been a member of the Community United Methodist Church of Wayland.
She is additionally survived by a brother, Stephen of Natick; three sisters, Sally of MD, Barbara of FL, and Ruth of NY; and many loving nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
A Service of Remembrance will be held at the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street at Natick Common, Natick, on Saturday, Apr. 28th at 3:00p.m. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with the family from 1:00p.m. until the start of the service.
Donations may be made in Joanne’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association of MA, 311 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA 02472.