Joanne Marie Gidley, 88, a noted contributor to Wisconsin’s newspaper industry, died Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Cardinal Ridge Assisted Living in Green Bay.
Born May 11, 1935, in Superior, she was the daughter of Gustave and Emma (Vangresspere) DeRiemaker. After graduating in 1953 from Cathedral High School, she went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in 1957 from the College of St. Scholastica. She served as editor of both her high school and college newspapers.
Her journalism career began at the Catholic Herald, where she worked as a reporter from 1955 to 1958. After a hiatus to raise her family, she rejoined the workforce in 1977, working in several tourism and advertising roles. An avid writer, she the Cathedral parish “Good News” bulletin, the Maritime Museum’s “Whaleback Log,” and the Superior/Douglas County tourism publication. She also wrote features for the Superior Telegram and was a columnist for Cathedral High School’s alumni newsletter.
