If you ever met Joan, chances are you remember her laugh. Warm, genuine, and wonderfully contagious, it had a way of turning strangers into friends and ordinary conversations into lasting memories. Whether she was standing in line at the grocery store, meeting a new neighbor, or chatting with someone she had just met, she had an extraordinary gift for making people feel at ease. Before long, everyone was laughing. She simply made people happy.

At 90 years old, Joan left this world much the way she lived in it—with kindness, laughter, grace, style, and a heart that never stopped loving the people around her.

She attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she studied dental hygiene before beginning her career as a dental hygienist. She married George in New Jersey in 1957 - a partnership that lasted more than five decades. Together they built a wonderful life and raised their family in New Jersey before moving to Battle Ground, Washington, in 2002 to be closer to their daughters and families on the West Coast. After George's passing in 2011, Joan continued living independently in Battle Ground, where she remained active, vibrant, and—true to form—quickly made friends wherever she went.

Joan genuinely wanted to know what was happening in your life, and she remembered the little things. Whether it was a new job, an upcoming trip, a doctor's appointment, or something your children were doing, she would always ask about it the next time she saw you. She checked in simply because she cared, making everyone feel important, loved, and remembered. She had an incredible way of making you feel like, in that moment, there was nowhere else she'd rather be than talking with you. She was the steady presence we counted on, the first to laugh, the easiest person to talk to, and the one who made every family gathering feel complete.

She had a generous heart in every sense of the word. She quietly found ways to help the people she loved, asking for nothing in return and never seeking recognition. Nothing brought her more joy than making someone else's life a little easier. Whether it was offering encouragement, opening her home, lending a helping hand, or helping someone reach an important milestone, her greatest reward was seeing the people she loved succeed.

Her home was a place where everyone felt welcome. The cupboards were always stocked with treats, there was always something sweet waiting in the kitchen, and even the dog knew a visit to Grammy's house meant a special snack. Her favorite words were, "Help yourself." She wanted everyone who walked through her door to feel comfortable, cared for, and completely at home.

She was endlessly optimistic. She accepted everyone without judgment, was easy to talk to, impossible not to like, and always willing to try something new. If someone suggested an outing, a trip, or an adventure, she was ready. She never lost her curiosity or her sense of fun.

Joan was also incredibly stylish. Voted "Best Dressed" in high school, she managed to live up to that title for the rest of her life. She loved beautiful clothes, always looked impeccably put together, and wore the color red as her signature color. She had a timeless elegance while somehow remaining effortlessly hip throughout her life.

She loved the quiet pleasures of life as much as the exciting ones. She could lose herself in a good book, happily spend hours working on a jigsaw puzzle, and in her younger years filled her kitchen with homemade desserts that family and friends still remember with a smile.

But nothing brought her more happiness than her family.

She was deeply proud of her daughters, Jessica and Alison, and cherished every moment she spent with her grandchildren who were the greatest joys of her life. She celebrated every accomplishment, remembered every milestone, and never stopped cheering them on. Their happiness was her happiness, and there was nothing she loved more than watching them build lives of their own.

Her great-grandson, Westin, became the light of her later years. At just two-and-a-half years old, he had Grammy wrapped around his little finger. She could happily spend an hour on the floor playing cars with him, completely lost in the moment. Those were some of her happiest days.

Joan is survived by her daughters, Jessica and Alison (Pete); her grandchildren, Shaina, Kazmir (Dallas), and Quade (fiancée Shyanne); her treasured great-grandson, Westin; and dear friends whose lives were brighter because they knew her.

Joan was our matriarch and she had a way of making every person in our family feel deeply loved. Looking back, that's what held us all together. She wasn't the loudest person in the room or the one seeking attention. Home will never feel quite the same without her. Not because of the place she lived, but because wherever Grammy was, that's where home seemed to be. There is a space on our family that can never be filled. We will miss her laughter, her warm hugs, her thoughtful questions, her unwavering optimism, her perfectly coordinated outfits, and the way she made every person feel welcome and loved. If you were fortunate enough to know Joan, then you know her greatest legacy isn't measured by the years she lived, but by the countless lives she touched with kindness, generosity, laughter, and unconditional love.

Thank you, Grammy, for a lifetime of love, laughter, generosity, and beautiful memories.

We will carry you in our hearts forever.