Joan M. Whiting

SCARBOROUGH – Joan M. Whiting passed away on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at the age of 93, in Scarborough, Maine. Born on June 4, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Elizabeth (Boulay) Shannon. She is predeceased by her husband Robert A. Whiting, her brother Bernard Shannon, her sister and brother-in-law Mona and Vincent Belleau, her sister and brother-in-law Kathleen and Joseph Nowak, and her brother and sister-in-law Charles and Jean Shannon.

She is survived by her five children and six grandchildren: Bob Whiting, Jr. of Scarborough, Maine; Wendy Dolci and her husband Bob of Ojo Caliente, New Mexico; Pamela Lewis and her husband Rick of Scarborough, Maine, and their children Mallory and Alyssa; Bill Whiting and his wife Stephanie of Windham, Maine, and their children Ryan, Andrew, and Maggie; and Julie Whiting and her partner Deandre Ivey of Saco, Maine, and their daughter Sophie Whiting. 

Joan attended St. Dominic’s grade school in Portland and won a four-year scholarship to St. Joseph’s Academy (later named Catherine McAuley High School, now The Maine Girls’ Academy). She graduated from high school in 1947 as class valedictorian and received a scholarship to Our Lady of Mercy College (now St. Joseph’s College in Windham), from which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1951. 

Joan married Robert A. Whiting on Sept. 5, 1953. She worked for the City of Portland’s Welfare Department for three years as a social caseworker until the birth of her first child in 1955. 

When her children were small, she volunteered as confraternity teacher at St. Patrick’s in Portland and was a den mother for the Camp Fire Girls when her middle daughter was a member. During those years she was also a volunteer for SEARCH (Seek Elderly Alone, Renew Courage and Hope), a group dedicated to visiting and assisting elderly people in the local area. Her children particularly remember an woman named Grace whom Joan took under her wing. On frequent visits to Grace’s apartment in Portland, Joan often brought one or two of her children along. After Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, the family would pack up a turkey dinner with all the fixings and bring it to Grace’s home.

In the 1960s Joan and her husband Bob began investing in real estate in the greater Portland area. They moved from Portland to Scarborough in 1971 and purchased Willowdale Golf Course in 1975. They retired in 1995, selling the golf course to son Bob Jr., its current owner. 

Bob and Joan enjoyed traveling. Their adventures included trips to Europe, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, Aruba, the Virgin Islands, and Bermuda, as well as many longterm winter visits to Florida where for a time they owned a condo in Naples.

Joan was a faithful contributor to charities, including the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, Special Olympics of Maine, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Southern Poverty Law Center, Catholic Charities, The Nature Conservancy, and many others.

With a keen interest in current events and politics, Joan was a lifelong subscriber to the Portland Press Herald, which she read cover to cover every day. Completing the crossword puzzle was a daily ritual. An avid reader, Joan could not imagine a life without books, and once told one of her daughters that if you had books in your life, you were never alone as, sharing one of her favorite quotes, “a good book is like a good friend.” 

A private funeral mass for Joan was held at St. Maximilian Kolbe church in Scarborough.

Online condolences may be offered at http://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.