Joan Garfield

Joan Garfield of Providence died Wednesday after a long and meaningful life. She was 86. She is survived by her daughters, Maggie deLong of Melrose, MA, and Kira deLong (Danna Bodenheimer) of Philadelphia, PA. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Nate and Lee Bodenheimer, as well as many devoted friends and family. She is pre-deceased by her parents, Anne and Ed Garfield.

Joan was born in Brooklyn and raised in Boston surrounded by loving family, progressive politics, and a love of the arts. She was a ballet dancer as a child and a young woman, before pivoting and working for most of her adult life with children and families. She worked as a clinical psychotherapist at the Providence Center for more than 40 years. She loved her job, and continued to do it well into her 80s. Both at work and in her personal life, she found ways to contribute to the world, enjoying travel, political activism, literature, theater, art, and music.

The greatest love of Joan’s life was her family. She was raised with several cousins, and counted Rusti and Jane, her sister-cousins, as some of her closest friends. She raised her children on the East Side of Providence and often said that of all her accomplishments, she felt the most proud when she saw her children and grandchildren and the way they lived their lives.

Joan lived her life according to her beliefs – she knew who she was and she allowed others to determine their own paths. She was honest, loving, matter-of-fact, but gentle. She was kind and respectful to everyone, never missing an opportunity to connect with others. She will be missed forever.

Funeral and burial will be private.

An informal shiva will be held at Joan’s home at 85 Dexterdale Road in Providence, on Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, from the hours of 12:00PM to 4:00PM. Please feel free to call on the family during that time. There will be a formal memorial within the next few months.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Chorus of East Providence at http://www.chorusofep.org/sponsor which was a light in Joan’s later years, or to the Walnut Psychotherapy Center at https://www.walnutpsychotherapycenter.com to sponsor psychotherapy for LGBTQIA+ individuals.