May 1, 1955 - January 12, 2011

Joan championed the fight for ovarian cancer awareness and fundraising for research at Duke for four and a half years since her diagnosis in 2006. A native of Asheboro, NC, Joan was employed at SAS Institute for over 20 years as an editor. She received a kidney/pancreas transplant at Duke in 1998 to cure kidney failure and her Type 1 diabetes. A Music and Sociology double major at Guilford College, Joan met her husband Jim there in the Choir Room in 1973.

Joan embraced life and lived it to the fullest, and she loved her husband and her family. One of her passions was herding sheep, and she loved her sheep and her border collies. She faced cancer with great courage. When she was first diagnosed, she decided to take fiddle lessons because she had always wanted to play the fiddle.

Joan’s team, “Joan’s Knightingales” continues to be a part of the Gail Parkins Memorial Ovarian Cancer Awareness Walk & 5k Run in Joan’s honor and memory in the hope that our efforts will help fund the research to create early detection screenings and ultimately, a cure to Ovarian Cancer.

We love you Joan!!