Joan was born on December 19, 1939 to Ruth (Dosch) and Edward Keller and was raised in Caldwell and Essex Fells, NJ. Predeceased by her parents, her sister Christine Keller and her step daughter Eleanor Sweeney, she is survived by her loving husband John D. Leggett, her beloved children Scott, Bryan and Heather McFarland, and step children Susan, Caroline and John Leggett, and by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She graduated from Wellesley College with a BA (art history and botany) in 1961 and received a Masters in Education degree from Springfield College in 1986. Before marrying John and moving to New Hampshire in 1986 she served as the school librarian and headed the Career Center at Minnechaug High School in Wilbraham, MA.
Joan spent her life enriching the lives of others. After marrying John she moved to New Hampshire, living in Bow, Canterbury and East Concord before spending her last years at Granite Ledges in Concord. She volunteered as a family mediator with New Hampshire Mediation, and was active in the Canterbury United Community Church, the Canterbury Fair, and the Ladies Benevolent Society. She will be remembered for restoring the Canterbury one room schoolhouse to its former purpose with the old materials and the help of some residents who attended as children. She received a national award in 2012 from the Country School Association of America.
Joan started a small enterprise “E Is For Everything” making a variety of creative objects which she sold through a number of group shops. She was known for her expertise on old tools. Her creative talents were also exhibited in her lovely flower gardens which she planned, planted and maintained. A commercial breeder named the lily variety “Joan Undaunted” after her.
She and her husband traveled widely in the U.S. and abroad. Favorite trips were to Newfoundland-Labrador, the UK, France, and down under to Australia and New Zealand. A favorite photo is of Joan with a very large snake draped over her shoulders and around her waist. Her fondness for such things were manifest in her home freezer. Upon seeing frozen snakes and skeletons adults would often recoil and say “ick” while children would exclaim “wow, cool”. The scales on snakes helped preserve them from freezer burn, but their colors did fade over time.
She would urge you:
“Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow … I am the gentle autumn’s rain. I am the soft star that shines at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there. I did not die.”
Her final wish was that donations be made to yourself. Go out, have fun, laugh. It’s OK to tell Joan Leggett stories. She sends her love.
A service will be held in Joan's honor on May 18th at 1:00PM at the Canterbury United Church, 5 Center Rd, Canterbury, NH 03224.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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