Joan Gustafson Haworth

Joan Gustafson Haworth passed peacefully into God’s hands on November 1, 2012 surrounded by the love of her family and strengthened by her strong faith and the love and prayers of her many friends.

Joan is survived by her loving husband, Charles Taylor Haworth of 52 years, who was her strength, her comfort and her support; and her loving and supportive children and grandchildren, Stuart (Elizabeth Kuhlmann) Haworth [Cannon and Taylor], David (Claudia) Haworth [Connor and Alaina] and Ann Haworth (Mike) Kolman [Jacob, Alison, and Katherine]. Her mother, Wilma “Billie” Pranger Gustafson; a cousin, Mary Jo Marmeljo; and her aunt, Dorothy Nolan Pranger, also survive her.

Joan was born in Deadwood, South Dakota, on November 10, 1938, the granddaughter of Swedish miners on her father’s side and farmers and merchants from Holland on her mother’s side. Her father was born in Lead and her mother came to the Hills during the Depression. Her mother worked in several administrative jobs before entering Black Hills State University at age 50 and graduating magna cum laude. She taught at Lead High School until her retirement. Her father, Harold “Gustie” Gustafson worked 47 years for the Homestake Mining Company. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II where he participated in the Normandy D Day landings

Joan graduated as Valedictorian of the Lead HS Class of 1956. She participated in a variety of activities – including playing clarinet in the All-State band, state extemporaneous speech champion, Honored Queen of Job’s Daughters, President of South Dakota Episcopal Youth Group, and organist at her local church. Entering Stanford University with Honors at Entrance in 1956, she played in the University orchestra, was active in student government and selected for membership in the Women’s Honorary Cap and Gown Society. She earned her Bachelors’ degree from Stanford University in 3 1/2 years and married her college sweetheart. She followed him through various U.S. Navy assignments, while teaching high school mathematics in California and Oregon high schools. Following his service in the Navy, Joan and Charles entered graduate school at the University of Oregon, completing their doctorates in Economics and taking faculty positions at Florida State University in 1969.

Dr. Haworth published peer-reviewed articles reflecting her research in statistical analysis of employment patterns - particularly those that raised legal issues of discrimination in federal and state courts. After promotion to Associate Professor at FSU she and her husband formed a consulting firm, Economic Research Services (later ERS Group) that eventually employed over 200 employees in Tallahassee, Washington DC, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The firm merged with publicly traded SourceCorp in 1998 and then was taken private by Apollo Group in 2006. She retired in 2010. For 29 years she was a member of the American Economic Association’s standing Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession and served as chair of the Committee in 2001-2002. Joan was particularly proud of her role in providing good jobs and careers for her colleagues and coworkers at ERS.

Dr. Haworth provided some of the landmark statistical analysis in employment litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants. During the forty years in which she provided expert testimony she helped shape the way the courts viewed both the issues and the appropriate statistical models that were considered in employment litigation. In 2012 she was recognized by the National Conference for Research on Women as one of 30 women who have “advanced women’s issues, promoted women’s leadership and changed the way the world views women and girls.”

Joan was adventurous and curious – she earned a private pilot license, enjoyed hot air ballooning, provided assistance in using computer technology in data analysis for academics in non-technical fields, and represented the National Science Foundation in a visit to he Soviet Union in 1979 to exchange ideas on managing economic resources using computer models.

Her children and family have been a focus of her life – from swim meets to music performances and Girl Scout cookies sales she joined them in their activities – encouraging them to grow intellectually and responsibly and was equally proud of their families and their accomplishments. When her children were young they traveled extensively throughout the United States during the summer months – exploring US National Parks and Monuments, following historical and geographical trails in more than 40 states. After the children were grown, frequent family reunions provided many opportunities to grow closer together and enjoy her family.

In recent years, Joan and Charles continued their own travel – this time focusing on classical architecture, history and antiques, specialized museums, and national parks. Their travels took them to Scotland, Ireland, England and Europe for golf, to Sweden, Norway, and Finland to explore her Scandinavian ancestry, and to the Baltic states and Russia for their art and culture. One of her favorite destinations (14 trips) was Italy - from Lake Como and Milan in the North, through Lucca, and Rome, to Sorrento and Sicily in the South – always returning to Venice, her favorite city. In the past couple of years Joan and her family spent a week in Alaska in the Denali National Park and Prince William Sound where they kayaked, watched the glaciers calf, saw the seals and orcas. The following year they went to South America and participated in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. This was followed by a tour of Iguaçu Falls and a cruise from Valparaiso, Chile along the coast to enjoy the lakes, beautiful mountains, penguins, volcanoes, glaciers and the rest of South America. She continued to travel domestically to be with her family during her illness.

Her family would like to thank Dr. Jeff Crooms, Dr. Dale Wickstrum, Dr. Michael Forsthoefel and Dr. Vikram Bhanderi and their staffs for providing excellent care to Joan. They would also like to extends their thanks to the nurses and staff at Big Bend Hospice.

Her funeral service will be held at St. Peter’s Anglican Church on Tuesday, November 6 at 2:00 pm, followed by a reception in the church’s parish hall. Internment will be private at the Pensacola National Military Cemetery. There will also be a memorial service held in Lead, South Dakota at a later time.

In lieu of flowers please consider supporting a charitable organization in which you strongly believe.

Arrangements are under the direction of Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home in Tallahassee, Florida.