Joan moved to Stamford in 1977 with her husband J.G. Pinkerton, who predeceased her in 2008. He was an executive with a mining company, Texas Gulf Sulphur, and in retirement a well-known professional storyteller. Joan and J.G. spent many happy years traveling nationally and internationally for storytelling events.
Born Joan Mecklenburg on August 26, 1929 in Gulf, Texas, to H.W. Mecklenburg and Mary Culver Mecklenburg, where her father worked for the same company at which her husband would later work. Her mother was a member of a prominent family in nearby Matagorda, Texas, and Joan spent her early years filled with happy times of childhood parties, dance recitals, trips to the beach, and weekends and all summer at the family home in Matagorda with her grandmother, Lily Bruce Culver, with whom she was very close.
When World War II came, as a young teenager she volunteered as a plane spotter. She was the valedictorian of her high school class. In the late 1940s she traveled solo by air as a teenager to be the aquatics counselor at a camp on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1950 and, after graduating, taught school in Port Arthur, Texas. She moved to Houston the next year and met J.G., a fraternity brother of her younger brother Bill, and she and J.G. married in 1952. She loved that he was a man who wanted to see the world, and she was eager to do that with him. They moved to Newgulf to start a family, and her three children, Marc, Kathy and Glenn were born there. Shortly thereafter, they had the opportunity to move to a new mine the company was building in Moab, Utah.
She had a life long love of mountains, and the 10 years living in Moab were some of the best years of her life. She loved camping, jeeping and skiing, and was for many years a Girl Scout leader. After a major fire destroyed the town library, she volunteered to organize the surviving books, was deeply involved in the development of the new library and became the town librarian.
In 1970, another work opportunity arose to move to Perth, Australia, and they jumped at the chance. Her seven years there meant yearly trips around the world, and she became a seasoned, game and inexhaustible traveler, across Europe, but especially in Asia and Africa. From seeing the Taj Mahal, the gardens of Kyoto, the Shah’s jewels in Tehran, Egyptian tombs, the Holy Land, to African safaris, she was always ready to see and do something new. On one trip she saw most of the sites of Rome in less than 72 hours while in a hip cast from a skiing accident, including hiking the length of St. Peter’s on crutches to see the Sistine Chapel.
She was always committed to church and personal charity, and when she moved to Stamford from Perth she became very involved in all aspects of her church. For nearly 35 years she taught an infant bible class that helped so many parents, and set so many little ones on their path to faith. She was Granny to so many children in her church. She so exemplified personal charity that the Stamford Advocate ran an article about her faith, charity and genuine friendship with those that needed help.
Still very spry into older age, she snow skied into her 70s, she last sledded at age 83, and she canoed as recently as last year. She had an enduring thirst for knowledge, and loved all things about science and nature. For many years she participated in the lifetime learners at a nearby college, and her last activity was to see the solar eclipse this past week. Among her last words of wisdom just a couple of days before she passed was “You know, life is a lot of fun, …if you look at it the right way.”
She is survived by her three children: her son Marc Pinkerton and wife Jean Polk of Kerrville, Texas, and grandchildren Kristen Pinkerton (and her children Harper and Madelyn) of Leesburg, Virginia, and Culver Pinkerton of Tokyo, Japan. Her daughter Kathy Koczanski of Stamford and granddaughters Alison (of New York, NY) and Lexi and Lexi’s husband Nick Doty, of Stamford. Joan was a pillar of love and support over the years after Kathy’s husband Greg (whom Joan loved so very much) died tragically in a hiking accident in 1999. Her son Glenn, wife Michelle, and grandchildren Trevor and wife Kate (and their children Teddy and Ben), Grant and wife Sarah (and their daughter Charlotte), and Victoria, all of Houston, Texas.
The larger family is so very appreciative of the wonderful care and devotion given her by Kathy, as well as Alison, Lexi and Nick, over the final years of her life.
Joan was truly a good and faithful servant of the Lord on this earth, and has now gone on to a sweet reunion with her loved ones and an eternity of comfort with the Lord.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 20 at the Stamford Church of Christ at 4 PM located at 1264 High Ridge Road in Stamford, Connecticut, with reception to follow, and one will also be held in Texas at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a favorite charity of hers, Shiloh NYC, an organization that offers services for New York inner city youth, including a camp where they can experience the joys of summer camp life, at Shilohnyc.org
DONATIONS
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.5