Biography for

Joanne (Vlasak) Collins

After high school Joanne attended Ohio University for 1 ½ years. Trying to decide what to do, she enrolled in airline school in Minneapolis and worked for Northwest Orient Airlines in Seattle, Washington. Because she was involved in a bad car accident while there, she returned to Brecksville where she worked for her Dad in the family business. In January 1979 she moved to Fort Myers, Florida, with her present husband Bill. They have been married 31 years. She has one son and two grandchildren.

In May of 1979 she was hired by a fire department as their first secretary. She then moved up the ladder to Office Manager and then Business Manager, performing all duties required for the department. She also went back to college and graduated in December 1994 from Barry University with a degree in Public Administration. After 29 years of service she retired in January 2008. She owned a gift shop and stained glass studio for 12 years until she closed it in June 2010.

Her hobbies include traveling, reading, stained glass, and hopefully some volunteer work now that she and her husband are totally retired.