St. George, Utah - Joanna Lynn Leary Nielson, 48, passed away Friday, January 7, 2022. She was born July 30, 1973 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to George Leary and Margaret Elliott Leary, and was raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She married Russell Douglas Nielson on June 7, 1997 in the Saint George Temple.

While growing up, she was a very fun loving and active little girl. Joanna was always a good student and very organized. Joanna was very athletic, winning Athlete of the year three years in a row in Junior High School through grades 7, 8 and 9; participated in ringette, basketball, soccer, and track and field; and was very active in gymnastics winning several tournament medals. Joanna continued in some of these sports throughout high school. She always enjoyed long distance running and ran many half and full marathons. Joanna then fell in love with Spartan races and CrossFit. In 2020, Joanna completed a lifelong dream to run the London, England Marathon, with her mother there to cheer her on. This was a very proud accomplishment of hers.

Scholastically, Joanna went to Brigham Young University Hawaii and was on the track team there. Joanna then paused schooling to serve a mission in Manchester, England. She loved her mission and it was held close to her heart. She always said her mission was some of the best times of her life. Joanna loved to play the piano and sing, which served her well on her mission. Joanna met the love of her life and future husband, Russell, who was also serving in the same mission. Joanna then continued on to Brigham Young University Provo and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology.

Joanna and Russell were blessed with seven beautiful children, including twins and triplets. She loved her children dearly and would've done anything for them. She cherished being able to coach soccer through the city league for all of her children and enjoyed being able to share her knowledge and love of soccer with them. She also was very involved with CrossFit for her two oldest daughter's travel Softball team, as well as cheerleading tournaments for her daughter, Brookie. Joanna was always quick to be a helping hand and put others before herself. Her genuine spirit and humor were infectious.

Joanna is preceded in death by her loving husband, Russell Douglas Nielson, her daughter, McKenna Michelle Nielson, and her grandparents: James Elliott, Anastasia Power, William Henry Leary and Jennie Marie Bales. She is survived by her beloved kids: Britain, Kiara, Brookelyn, Braxton, Rigdon and Jaeger; her parents, George and Margaret Leary; her brothers: Scott (Heather) Leary, Chad (Tonya) Leary and Mark (Lyndsey) Leary.

A private family service will be held. A public service will be announced at a later date.