She is survived by a son and his wife Elliott Winn Law and Suzanne Isley Law, a daughter and her husband Diana Joan Dougherty and William Clenton Dougherty, a sister Ruby Via Harlow of Roanoke, Va., a brother Lauren Ambler Via of Roanoke, Va., two grandsons Adam Christopher Law (wife Rachel Foord Law) and Jared Benjamin Law, and two great granddaughters Corinne Elizabeth Law and Adaline Blake Law.
Born May 31, 1930 in Roanoke, Virginia, Joan worked in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court system and at the local WROV radio. In 1949 she graduated from Jefferson High School with a Commercial degree.
She married Sherrill Winn Law on July 2, 1949, and the couple moved to Washington, D.C., both employed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Joan worked as a dictation stenographer until 1951. In 1952, the couple moved when Sherrill became a Special Agent and was assigned to the Philadelphia office. Further assignments came to offices in New Haven, CT, New York City, NY, and Alexandria, VA, until in 1968, a final assignment and move was made to Richmond, Virginia. Joan and Sherrill were married for 57 years.
Joan was a member of Ridge Baptist Church since 1970, and a member of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts where she took painting and art history courses. She loved her family, flowers, Impressionist painting, big band music, classic movies, animals, wildlife and gardening.
A graveside service will be held 2:00 PM Friday, March 1st, in the east mausoleum at Greenwood Memorial Gardens, 12609 Patterson Avenue. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org.
