Joan Allison Erskine Green

Joan Allison Erskine Green, affectionately known as ‘Bonnemama’, passed peacefully and in the arms of loved ones, on Monday, July 17th, at her home at Mansfield Place in Essex, VT. She was born July 3, 1931, in New Rochelle, NY to Robert Alan Laurie Erskine and Marjorie Wolcott Allison Erskine, and raised in Brookline, MA.

She is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Wesley, and her husband, Charles Wesley of Laudon NH, their three children, Jessica Blackman, and her husband Spencer Blackman, and their two children Julia and Elliot Blackman, Abigail White and her husband Robby White, and their two children William and Wyatt White, and Lincoln Wesley, and his wife Jane Wesley; her son Geoffrey Green and his wife Brenda Green of South Burlington, VT, and their four children, Rebecca Dourmashkin and her husband Mark Dourmashkin, Elizabeth Green and her husband Sean Danyow, Madeline Green, and Allison Green; and her son Alan Green and his wife Cindy Green of Red Lion, PA.

She was preceded in death by her childhood sweetheart and husband of 44 years, Dr. Gareth Montraville Green, her son Jamie Montraville Green, as well as her parents and brother, Alan Erskine.

Joan was known for her strong will, sharp wit, grace, and compassion. She was a curious soul with a love for travel, venturing across the globe on many trips with her father, her husband, her children, and close friends. She enjoyed and excelled in many hobbies. Joan was regionally awarded for her needlepoint work, was an avid book reader, a Boston Globe crossword devotee, a bridge player to be reckoned with, a gardener, harpist, tennis player, and a regular visitor of the opera and ballet.

Joan attended Colby College in Waterville, ME, from which she graduated in 1952 with a BA in English Literature. Her passion for literature was constant throughout her life, teaching English to elementary school children in Baltimore, frequenting local libraries, and inspiring those around her with an endless knowledge of the written word.

Joan and Gareth both grew up on Mason Terrace, in Brookline MA, where they began their lifelong journey together. Joan was a well-known guest at the Green’s house, often spending time with Gareth and his eight siblings. Their romance grew in high school and strengthened in college despite the long distance (Joan at Colby and Gareth at Harvard). The couple soon married in 1953, and began their family in 1954. Joan was a loving mother to four, a grandmother to seven, and eventually a great-grandmother of four. Joan’s love for family was immense and shone brightly in her heart and soul. She enjoyed every moment spent with her grandchildren; listening to their piano and flute playing, taking long walks through nature, always keen to point out the wildflowers and birds passing by, playing board games and eating chocolate cookies in the afternoons, and watching them grow into their best selves. Her most memorable and favorite of times were those she spent surrounded by family and the sounds of nature at her home on Lake Winnipesaukee, in Tuftonboro Neck, NH.

Joan was a generous and kind woman, caring selflessly for those in her community. While raising her three children, Joan dedicated her free time to care for those in need. For many years, Joan worked in the emergency room, volunteered as a patient advocate, and up until very recently, was a hospice volunteer, where she provided companionship to those nearing the end of life. She was an active practitioner of the Episcopal faith and spent the last 25 years in service of the St. James Episcopal Church, in Essex VT. Her fond admiration for the church’s words, community service, angelic music, and stained glass will not be forgotten.

The presence of her eternal soul will live on in the lives she touched, and when the familiar glint of the sun catches the light of a beautifully stained-glass window, we will be reminded of her smile and everlasting love.

Joan’s life and eternal spirit will be memorialized at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn Street, Bigelow Chapel, Cambridge, MA on Saturday, September 9th at 11:00 am with a private burial and reception to immediately follow.