Joan Eloise (Masalin) Ratliff

GORHAM – Joan Eloise (Masalin) Ratliff passed away peacefully, Jan. 23, 2022, at the Gorham House in Gorham, at the age of 89. Born in Camden, Joan grew up in nearby Lincolnville. In 1947 her family moved to Portland, where she attended Portland High School. Joan loved high school and was very active in sports, cheerleading, majorettes, and the art club. In her senior year, Joan won the Maine State Backstroke Championship and an award for her artwork. She made many life-long friends in high school and looked forward to every class reunion.Joan met Donald Ratliff while in high school and they married after graduation in 1950. Joan and Don settled in Portland and had five children during their 27-year marriage. Her children and grandchildren were the light of her life, and Joan was proud of every one of them. Joan was a life-long learner and a voracious reader who loved music of all kinds. She was a very creative person and a talented artist. Her many paintings are a treasured legacy to her family. Joan successfully applied her artistic skills in the printing industry for over 30 years in Portland, Wells, and Rockland. Joan returned to Lincolnville in her later years and was an active member of the United Christian Church and the Lincolnville Historical Society. Joan is predeceased by her parents; and her nephew. Joan is survived by her five children; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Joan is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law; and two nephews. A more full description of Joan’s wonderful life can be found on the Poitras Funeral Home website (www.mainefuneral.com). The family will hold a celebration of Joan’s life at a later date at the Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service Chapel, 498 Long Plains Road, in Buxton. Please check their website for the service announcement. Interment will take place at Maplewood Cemetery in Lincolnville at a future date. Joan’s family would like to express our deepest gratitude to the entire Gorham House staff in Gorham, especially those on Cambridge, Windsor I, and Windsor II, as well as Dr. Ari Berman and his staff, for their outstanding, kind, and compassionate care of Joan in her final years. We would also like to thank the kind staff at Compassus Hospice for their support for Joan in her last days.