In Memory of Johanna Renee Pascoe

On December 12, 2022, Johanna Pascoe, only 20 years old, was the victim of a severe car crash on Hwy 32 in Caledonia, Wisconsin involving a drunk driver who crossed the center line of the road, leaving her with nowhere to escape impact.

When police arrived, she was stuck in her vehicle and needed to be extricated, where she was found with no heartbeat. First responders were able to get her heart pumping again, and she was taken to the hospital by Flight for Life where she remained in critical condition. During her time in the hospital, she never regained consciousness and showed no signs of brain activity. She was taken off of life support on December 13 and succumbed to her injuries very quickly.

A recent graduate of Gateway Technical College’s Nursing Program, Johanna was heading to St. Luke’s in Milwaukee that Monday morning, where she was an extern nurse in the Neuro ICU – a new job that would allow her to transition into RN pending the NCLEX exam and state licensure. She took part in Gateway’s Nurse Pinning ceremony on December 9 – less than 72 hours before the accident. She spent her adulthood as a hardworking caregiver and student, impatient to live out the full extent of her dream of helping people. She took excellent care of her patients and was a ray of sunshine to all who knew and worked with her. She was filled with a passion for life and the nursing profession. She was planning to further her education at UWM to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing while she worked full-time as an RN at St. Luke’s.

A solace exists in the impression she left on those who were fortunate enough to meet her as she gave everything she had in everything she did and to every life she touched.

Johanna had a truly positive and joyful soul. Wise beyond her years, she believed in kindness above everything and acted it out every day. She had an almost otherworldly quality about her, never taking out a bad day on another and always ready and willing to help out those she cared about and strangers alike. Never a complaint or an excuse, she put other people first, yet still managed to accomplish so much for herself. She loved life and cherished her time with loved ones. She was truly embracing her journey into adulthood.

She spent her teenage years working full time at Culver’s in Burlington, WI, moving up to manager prior to application into nursing school. She put herself through college by working as a CNA at various local hospitals and nursing homes. She took classes full-time, including her summers. She made the Dean’s list. A huge lover of animals (all animals – even the ones many find creepy and crawly), she had recently donated her time to volunteer for Tiny Hooves Animal Sanctuary. She leaves behind her family and friends, coworkers, classmates, professors and instructors, and everyone who had the pleasure of meeting her, even in passing. She will be severely missed. Her loss is the world’s loss and is felt deeply. Everyone who knows her knows how many people she has helped and would’ve helped if her life wasn’t stolen.

I am Elisha Pascoe, the eldest sister of Johanna Pascoe. She lived with me while achieving her dream of graduating college. I don’t yet know the extent of her medical expenses or the cost of cremation and funeral services. I also do not know how long the process and costs will be for the court cases. The purpose of this GoFundMe is to help us pay for a memorial service to celebrate Johanna's life, which was too-soon stolen, and to retain a lawyer to aid in bringing the drunk driver (and all responsible for her death) to justice. We want nothing more than the best to honor Johanna and would be grateful for any assistance in helping us give her everything she deserves.

We know that not everyone who would like to help financially will be able to. In lieu of money, Johanna would have wanted everyone she knew to be an organ donor. If you can donate blood and plasma in memory of her, she would’ve really appreciated it. She regularly participated in blood drives and felt strongly about the importance of organ donation. Unfortunately, due to the severity of her injuries, none of her organs, tissues or beautiful eyes were viable to be donated, which would have been her final wish.

Thank you, we appreciate everyone’s thoughtful and caring support during this tragic time.