Joan B. Grossman

Joan B. Grossman, beloved sister of Ned Grossman and sister-in-law of Shelly Lazarus and the late Sheri Grossman, cherished aunt of Jennifer Grossman Dingle (Dr. Tom Dingle) and Adam Grossman (Candy Hannemann), loving great-aunt to Noah Dingle, Sadie Dingle, Stella Grossman and Luiza Grossman, and adoring friend to countless throughout the country, passed away on May 18, 2026 in Sun City Center, Florida, having endured a five year bout with chronic leukemia.

Joan was born October 26, 1945, grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and graduated from Shaker High in 1963. She attended Northwestern University and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1967. She then earned her Master of Education Degree from Stanford University in 1970. She moved to the Boston area and began an exemplary 30-year elementary school teaching career in the Concord Schools. Joan also taught Conflict Resolution at Leslie College and was a forerunner as a Diversity and Inclusion proponent and Gay Rights advocate. After retirement, she moved to her beloved outdoors in Freedom, New Hampshire and later to the retirement community of Freedom Village in Sun City Center, Florida.

“Joanie” to her friends and parents, “WAJ” (Wonderful Aunt Joan) to her niece and nephew, and “Ms. Grossman” to the hundreds of elementary school children she taught during her 30 years teaching. No matter the name, she brought a warm, disarming smile and a bubbly sense of humor to all aspects of her life.

She was a female athlete in the 1950s before women’s sports began to blossom. She took an incalculable number of photos before it became commonplace. She valued personal experiences over financial pursuits and devoted herself to exploring the world.

She held an enduring, lifelong hope for peace on earth with one notable annual exception - the Michigan-Ohio State game. Her two favorite words in the English language were “Go Blue."

She was also one of world’s foremost collectors of “stuff.” A curious, curated compilation of tchotchkes, poems, buttons, greeting cards, photos, newspapers, coins, and stamps that spanned the world and the decades. Those crumbs of the world that meant so much to her had a habit of finding their way into the homes of unsuspecting family members. Receiving a padded yellow envelope in the mail from Joan was to be involuntarily and instantly transported to Joan’s version of Goodwill.

What appeared to be clutter and chaos was something much simpler. It was just love. The love of family. The love of children.

There was nothing that provided more happiness to Joan than riding shotgun in the lives of her niece, nephew, and their kids. In doing so, she became one of the great cheerleaders of her time.

Joan was who she was. And she was wonderful.

She leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, and gratitude. More than anything, she made the people in her life feel deeply loved and valued. She had a remarkable gift for finding the good in every person and every circumstance, bringing humor and warmth wherever she went. She will be missed by a legion of family and friends.

The family suggests donations in Joan’s memory to The Gathering Place, a community resource for anyone “touched by cancer”, 23300 Commerce Park Drive, Beachwood, Ohio, 44122; or Animal Shelter Critter Adoption and Rescue Center ( C.A.R.E.), 1528 27th Street, Ruskin, Florida, 33750; or the charity of your choice.