Joan (Vachon) Victor

SHELBURNE, Vt. – Our loving and beautiful Mom left us early in the morning on March 13, 2023. She had been living independently at The Residence at Otter Creek in Middlebury, Vt. where she enjoyed the community and her ever present dedication to physical fitness, until a series of events led to her precipitous decline.

Joan Nancy Vachon was welcomed to this world by her parents Joseph H. Vachon Sr., and Laura Margaret Ware Vachon at Webber Hospital in Biddeford on Feb. 17, 1931. She was raised by the sea, where a short path through the dunes carried her to the rhythms and the beauty of the beach which, despite the many places she ultimately lived, would always be home. She delighted in the wonders of that massive playground, even befriending a seal as a young girl. Winters were spare and sometimes lonely which perhaps sparked a creative streak that traveled with Joan (confusingly pronounced JO-Ann) throughout her life.

Joan would often recount her years in a one-room schoolhouse and the isolation of the beach with more nostalgia than regret and yet she welcomed the bustle of summer with joyful anticipation. The tightness of community and importance of family were indelibly imprinted in these early years and remained as a touchstone for the balance of her days.

Progressing to Thornton Academy from a one-room schoolhouse was initially fraught with anxiety for Joan, and yet her years at Thornton unfolded as rich, exciting and defining. Thornton became an institution she was dedicated to for the remainder of her life and was a catalyst to her lifelong prioritization and commitment to education. It is also where she met Milton to whom she would be wed for nearly 63 years. Once ‘retired’ Joan served on Thornton’s Board of Trustees for 18 years.

As high school years drew to a close, Mom recounted that her parents gave her a choice of a festive wedding or an education—one or the other— and there was nary a decision as she knew she was headed to Orono and the University of Maine. It was at UMaine that Milton and Joan started to date and where lifelong friendships were formed.

Joan received a B.A. in Psychology and was a member of an honorary psychology fraternity. She also enjoyed the mischief and fun of being a ‘Tri-Delt,’ where as a beauty and lover of fashion she had some light hearted fun modeling.

As with Thornton, Mom and Dad were committed to the University of Maine prompting them to establish a scholarship in 2004, and in 2005 they were awarded the Block M award for their dedication to the University. Mom served as president on the executive committee for her class of 1952 and oversaw an exceptional year of fundraising in 1997. Found among Mom’s belongings were letters of thanks she had received from recipients of their scholarship underscoring how near and dear to her heart this effort was.

Following graduation Joan went to work for the State of Maine as a child welfare worker in Aroostook County. While the work was challenging, Joan thrived and enjoyed the independence of making her way.

In November of 1954, after Milton returned from Korea where he was serving with the Marines, they were married. Their three children were born in Maine and ensuing years brought them to Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. Joan was funny, sometimes irreverent, and consummately supportive of her family. She was a sports fan in all her children’s pursuits, a math tutor, an editor, whoopee pie maker, a hostess, volunteer, and wonderful chef. She loved to entertain and designed creative invitations and countless poems to commemorate whatever needed celebrating.

She accessorized with a flair and in her 30s taught herself to sew, fabricating an array of beautiful items (even a tutu!), and a few articles remain to grace her granddaughter’s closets. Mom’s creative streak extended to gardening, flower arranging and painting. She was not prolific or formerly instructed in the latter, but she produced a handful of impressive paintings that we are lucky to have.

When her youngest was about to head off to college Joan enrolled in a real estate course at the University of Connecticut and ultimately received her GRI and CRS designations. She worked in real estate for 18 years, primarily in Connecticut where she was a member of the greater Hartford Board of Realtors and often received accolades as a top producer.

Once retired, it did not take long for Mom and Dad to decide to head back to Maine. In addition to their cottage which has been a fixture for family reunions these past 30-plus years, they purchased their ‘main’ home which they loved and lived in until Dad left us in 2016. Mom spent one year alone before deciding to move to Vermont to be closer to her daughter. Joan’s vital presence is ever missed and we are fortunate to be graced with a lifetime of her love and memories.

Joan has a multitude of friends, nieces, nephews and cousins who were so important to her and who she cherished.

She is survived by her son, David, daughter-in-law Lolly of Seattle, Wash., and their children Zoe, Calista (Mike Venezia) and Helena. Calista and Mike are parents to Joan’s first great-grandchild, Sofia. Also surviving are her son, Peter of Ellsworth, his children Luc-Oliver (fiancee Sophie Lataille), and Eliott; daughter, Stephanie, son-in-law James Wells of Charlotte, Vt. and their children Alexandra and Nathaniel; her brother, Joseph H. Vachon Jr. and his wife Ruth of Stetson.

Joan was predeceased by many friends and family members who she mourned and missed including her grandson, Zachary James Wells; and her beloved husband, Milton who adored her and who, we can only hope, was waiting, arms wide.