Joann Irene Rapini

Joann Rapini (nee Tufexis), born on July 27, 1932 and died on May 23, 2021.

My mom passed away last week. It is hard to lose a parent, but I guess everyone has to eventually. Being her youngest son of four, and the self-proclaimed favorite, it feels exceptionally painful. No more yard sales, no more big gardening projects that an 80 something woman has no business doing, no more breakfasts at Eye Opener with bloody Mary's or dinners at Mexican restaurants with margaritas, no more seven AM Saturday "good morning David" wakeup calls.

A resident of Akron all her life, my mom graduated from North High School and lived her early years in the North Hill area, later moving to Ellet where she raised all of us.

My mom met my dad in art school at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Both were amazing artists, with my mom, in more recent years, focusing on watercolors. Her rebellious spirit at the misogyny of having to change her name from Tufexis to Rapini drove her to, passive aggressively at my father, sign all her paintings Joann Tufexis. All of us have her paintings around the house with my favorite ones focused on our family Canada vacations. While I would not call my mom an avid fisherwoman, she loved the yearly family walleye trip to Canada, where she tortured the rest of us with her ability to out fish us using old banana peels on a jig instead of all our fancy lures and baits. Her obsession with yard work also took up an inordinate amount of her day, winning her awards for best Akron landscaping many years running of which she was extremely proud.

What I remember most about my mom though is her commitment to keeping her boys safe. She was ALWAYS a mom. No matter how old we were, no matter what mischief we were into, or what career or life "mistakes" we were making, she had no issues with putting in her two cents (more like a few hundred dollars' worth of cents). As I write this and use the past tense "was" I cannot begin to tell you how wrong that feels. She WILL always be my mom.

My mom is survived by her four sons, Ron, Tom, Ken, and Dave. A slew of grand kids (Ryan, Alicia, Brianna, Sarina, Joren, and Logan) and a handful of great grand kids. Her husband Vince, parents Peter and Josephine Tufexis, and sisters Mary Harmata and Helen Tufexis preceded her in death. Hopefully together again.

Family and friends may visit for Memorial Calling Hours at Newcomer Funeral Home, 131 North Canton Road, Akron from 5:00 - 7:00 PM on Friday, June 4, 2021.

Family and friends are also invited to Greenlawn Memorial Park on Romig Road in Akron for a committal service on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 11:30 AM.

In lieu of flowers please, please consider a donation in her name to the Alzheimer's Association.
www.alz.org Telephone: 800-272-3900