Nina (Bellanca) Eager

Nina Bellanca (Joiner) Eager, 86, passed away on April 30, 2018, at Carmie Care in Cathedral City, California.  Nina was born April 11, 1932, in Lowellville, Ohio, the daughter of Phillip and Clara (Labrie) Bellanca.  She was a 1950 graduate of Lowellville High School and attended Youngstown State University.  She moved to Southern California in the late 1950’s, where she met and married her late husband, Cliff Joiner.  They eventually moved to Visalia, California where she completed her college degree at College of the Sequoias and became a teacher. Nina loved history and traveled the United States and Europe. She loved to read, always having a book near her side. Nina was a member of the Sons of Italy in Visalia, where she volunteered for many of their fundraising events.  She was a lifelong lover of dogs and always had one as a companion.  Nina moved to Cathedral City in 2016 to be closer to her brother, Phillip.  She was a very devoted Catholic and joined a Bible Study soon after moving to Cathedral City.
She leaves to cherish her memory, her brother, Phillip Bellanca Jr. of Palm Springs, CA, her two nieces, Lorraine Suttle of Downey, CA and Yvonne Yamasaki of Lake Forest, CA, and her nephew, Ed Rapcinko, of Austintown, OH, a step-daughter, Linda (Joiner) Hutchinson of Colorado, four great nephews, 5 great-great nieces and nephews, her longtime friends in Visalia, and her many new friends in Cathedral City.
Besides her parents, Nina was preceded in death by her past husbands, Cliff Joiner and John Eager, and her sisters, Lena Bellanca and Josephine (Bellanca) Rapcinko.
A memorial Mass will be held in Palm Springs at a later date.  Nina will be laid to rest at Visalia Public Cemetery, in Visalia. Visit www.blackstonefuneralhome.com to view this obituary and to send any condolences to the family.