Joan Daskam Smith

Joan Smith lived every moment of her 108 years. Her secret was a foundational love of people which she gave to us all; ever reminding us that, “you build people up, not tear them down.” She gave her openness to people, places, things and opportunities in many settings, both here and abroad, among them; Washington D.C., Chevy Chase Md., Fredericksburg and Richmond Va. as well as Milwaukee WI and Albany NY To her, however, New Bern was special, as it was where she and husband Steve retired in 1979. With its many communities and sense of place, New Bern enabled Joan to flourish for 45 years.

Joan loved service, travel, bridge, golf, gardening, establishing libraries, and bike riding among other interests. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “one makes a living by getting, one makes a life by giving” and give she did. Joan was a long-time volunteer at Carolina East Medical Center’s library and volunteered at First Presbyterian Church in New Bern. She was a charter member of the Fairfield Harbour Garden Club, and a charter member of the Harbour Pointe Ladies Golf Assn. She also chaired the Fairfield Harbour Bridge Marathon (both couples and ladies pairs from 1982-1988). A librarian by choice, Joan founded community-based libraries in two towns of upstate New York and was a member of two Fairfield Harbour book clubs. She could often be found retrieving trash on Broad Creek Rd. as a member the Road Gang clean-up crew.

Joan’s world-wide adventures include; having played golf on every continent except Antarctica, visits to 22 sites in Europe, a balloon ride over the Serengeti, swimming with dolphins in Cancun and sea lions in the Galapagos. She kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland and traveled throughout Asia, spending time in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and New Zealand. Joan also explored the Amazon by canoe and flat-bottomed boat. In the Pacific Northwest she took a stern-wheeler cruise on the Snake and Columbia Rivers, retracing stops of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In Georgia, Joan attended a Sunday school class taught by Jimmy Carter while on an Elder-hostel trip.

In 2001, At the age of 85, Joan survived being struck by a car while riding her bike. In 2015 she received from the Star Foundation a gift of being one for whom a celestial body in the sky has been named. A “forever” gift, her star is included in the belt of constellation Orion.

Joan is survived by daughter Susan A. Smith of Phippsburg, Maine and predeceased by Stephen A. Smith, husband of 50 years, in December, 1991 and by son, David Allan Smith in November, 1988.

In lieu of flowers please donate to Habitat for Humanity.

A service of Witness to the Resurrection is scheduled for Monday, October 7 at 11:00 am at First Presbyterian Church, 400 New St., New Bern. A reception will follow. Inurnment will be at First Presbyterian Church Memorial Garden at a time later to be announced.

Cotten Funeral Home is honored to serve the family and friends of Joan Daskam Smith.