Joanie Linda Berns was born on June 11, 1955 in Monroe Hospital, Monroe, Michigan. Her parents were Lavern and Hildegarde  "Sallie" (Andrews) Berns

She was a 1973 graduate of Dundee High School and attended Eastern Michigan University. On June 15, 1980, she married Marcus McCoy at the 1st Unitarian Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They were divorced in 1982 and had no children.

Joanie passed away in 2017 at the age of 62.