Joan Ward was born in Peekskill, New York on January 31, 1932. She resided there until her parents moved to Penn Yan, New York, where she attended St. Michael School. Following St. Michael School, Joan attended Penn Yan Academy where she graduated. Following high school graduation, Joan attended Keuka College where she graduated with a BS degree in mathematics education.

Joan took her first job as a mathematics teacher at Middlesex Valley Central School. While teaching full time, Joan enrolled in an evening Master's Degree program at the University of Rochester. Upon completion of her Master's Degree, Joan became certified by the New York State Education Department as a guidance counselor. She left her mathematics teaching position and became a full-time guidance counselor.

In the summer of 1962, Syracuse University offered an eight-week National Defense Education Association Program. Joan applied for admission and was accepted. This is where she first met Byron, her husband to be and the love of her life for the next 56 years. Following the eight-week guidance program, Joan enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Syracuse University.

During Joan's first semester at Syracuse University, she was recruited to be a half-time senior clinical psychologist at Marcy State Hospital. A psychology position became available at Syracuse State School and Joan transferred to Syracuse where she worked 20 hours a week.

As part of her work with the mildly mentally retarded at Syracuse State School, Joan and Byron used the Initial Teaching Alphabet to teach five boys to read. They wrote up the results of their work and were invited to present the study at Oxford University in England.

Joan completed her Ph.D. program at Syracuse in 1967 and married Byron John Ward. She started her family with a girl, Suzanne Marie Ward in 1968. Suzanne was followed by Deborah Ann Ward in 1970 and Brendan Joseph Ward in 1972. Joan was a stay-at-home mom for the next several years, raising her children with much love and understanding, encouraging their imaginations and taking pride in their intellectual pursuits.

Joan went back to work for several years as a clinical psychologist at Craig Developmental Center in Sonyea, NY. She ended her professional career as a school psychologist at Elba Central School in Elba, New York.

When Byron retired from the State of New York, Joan and her family moved to North Carolina. Joan spent her final years cheering on her children. She saw Brendan graduate from Duke with a Ph.D. in engineering, while Suzanne graduated with a Master's Degree in library science from UNC Greensboro and Deborah graduated with a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Ten years after getting married, Deborah and her husband Alan welcomed Mary Elizabeth and subsequently Stephen David into the world. They were Joan's only grandchildren, and she was so proud of both of them. She was particularly fond of hearing Stephen play the piano.

Joan passed away on December 9, 2023, in Marshville, NC, at the age of 91 years. She is greatly missed by her family and all who knew and loved her over the years. Private services will be held at a later date. Charitable contributions can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Holland Funeral Service is serving the Ward family.