Joan met her late husband, Rene, in the late 1970s when she was a single mother to two boys aged two and four. She convinced Rene to hire her to help him with marketing for his company, which processed football film and was located on Mulberry Street at that time. Over the years, Joan and Rene grew what was originally known as Capitol Filmworks from a small, local business into a nationally known professional photography lab.
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Joan immigrated to the United States by way of Canada as a young girl. She was raised in Marietta, Ga., attended West Georgia College and later earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Auburn University at Montgomery. For many years, Joan was an active and proud member of the Montgomery Rotary Club.
Joan is survived by her sons, Keith (Shelley) Hildebrand of Montgomery, Ala., and Bradley (Amber) Hildebrand of Fredericksburg, Va.; grandchildren Mallory, Josh, Morgan and Tyler; brother, Michael Gordon of Marietta, Ga.; and niece, Julie White.
She was preceded in death by her dear husband, Rene; her parents, Rosaleen and William Gordon; her sister, Lena Holden; and her brother, Karl Gordon.
Visitation will be held from 9:30 - 11 a.m. on Saturday at White Chapel – Greenwood Funeral Home in Montgomery. A funeral service will immediately follow the visitation at 11 a.m.
The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the WEGL-FM W. Rene Brinsfield Memorial Endowed Scholarship at Auburn University.
