Lifenotes: Joanna Montgomery, Wife of Mark Montgomery

Joanna Stanfield Montgomery

Joanna Montgomery, wife of tech entrepreneur Mark Montgomery, passed away on Tuesday, July 28 following a long battle with cancer. She was 47.

She bravely documented her journey on her blog, sharing her story of balancing motherhood and cancer. She was the focus of a documentary series, appeared on Katie Couric’s talk show, and in two front-page stories in The Tennessean.

Joanna was born Aug. 23, 1967 in St. Joe, Missouri and her family moved to the Nashville area when she was in fifth grade. As an adult, she worked as a paralegal, and was passionate about family law.

She and Mark married in 2011 and their daughter, Magnolia Grace, was born the same year. The doctors discovered Joanna’s cancer during her c-section.

The family requests charitable donations in lieu of flowers. Donations can also be made to the Magnolia Foundation, a nonprofit organization for research about gynecologic cancers. Magnolia Foundation C/O Rashford Kruse P.O. Box 121228 Nashville, TN 37212.

The Tennessean has a beautifully written tribute to Joanna here.