Thursday, June 27, 2019
My early memories of Joan take me to the late 1950s, when she and her large family routinely occupied the first pew at Saint Cecilia’s church on Sunday mornings. Because we were enrolled in separate grade school districts, I didn’t get to know Joan until the 1960s when we both were bused up to Jerome for high school. Joan stood out among her three older sisters not only for her height, but also for her long flowing hair and gentle and tranquil nature. Notwithstanding, like many of her Schrambling siblings, Joan possessed a sharp and creative wit. Joan saw humor in places where the rest of us missed it and brought joy to many a gloomy situation. Her intrinsic love of others led her to become a flower-child of the 1960s-1970s and, in her later years, an integral contributor to those with physical or emotional needs in the Verde Valley. I’m so glad that, before her soul passed from this earth, I had the chance to convey my thoughts: she had lived her life acting as the “hands of Christ”. The Verde Valley will miss you Joan, but I have no doubt your beautiful soul lives on.
