Joanne (Ferguson) Brooks Ph.D

Joanne (Ferguson) Brooks, Ph.D, passed away peacefully on Christmas morning at the Pavilion Nursing and Rehab facility in Hyannis at 93 years old. She was born in Hyannis, MA on March 29, 1930 to Helen (Pelton) (Ferguson) Sherman and Henry Ferguson. Joanne was a proud 12th generation Cape Codder, being a direct descendant of several of the original Pilgrims including William Brewster, and of sea captain Maynard Bearse. She was a member of the Mayflower Society and the DAR.

Joanne grew up in Hyannis and spent most of her childhood living on Sea Street at Linnell’s Dairy with her mother, stepfather Robert Sherman, and older sister Camille. Some of her fondest memories were riding in the milk truck with “Pop” (Robert) and running out from the truck to make the daily deliveries. Many years later she could still point out the houses and remember the names of the families who were on the route.

Joanne graduated from Bridgewater State University in 1951 with a degree in education and started teaching in Cape Cod public school systems from Harwich to Sandwich. She was a girls basketball coach. In 1963, she took a substitute teaching position at Riverview School in East Sandwich, MA and stayed there for 27 years, retiring after many years as Executive Director during which time she significantly grew the school’s reputation and enrollment. During those years she went on to earn a Master’s Degree. In her 50’s she earned her Ph.D., an accomplishment of which she was very proud.

She loved and was so proud of her family. She loved to travel, see new things, and meet new people. And to especially to combine family and travel. Memorable family trips (2 adults, 3 kids, 1 car) were to Florida, Nebraska, Las Vegas, and Pennsylvania. One of her most memorable trips later in life was to Australia and New Zealand.

Married to Lawrence Brooks, the family moved from Hyannis to the suburbs - Centerville. Joanne loved to play couples bridge. She kept the three kids in their rooms and quiet while the adults played cards in the living room. She has many tea cups as winning trophies.

Joanne put considerable time and effort into her genealogical research and eventually mapped a family tree for her children. On one trip to Scotland she found the church in Paisley where her great-grandparents were married. It turns out that us kids have many extended Cape Cod cousins.

Joanne loved cars. She taught all her kids to drive – standard shift required! One of her favorite things to do was go for a drive “around town” or “by the beach”. Mom, now you can drive whenever and wherever you want to go….

She is survived by her sons Peter (Joan) of Osterville and Dwight of Hyannis and her daughter Karen of Hyannis. She was predeceased by her ex-husband Lawrence Brooks and sister Camille Torrey.

Visiting hours will be on Thursday, January 25, 2024 from 4-6 pm at the Doane, Beal and Ames Funeral Home, 160 West Main Street in Hyannis. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, or a Cape Cod charity of your choice.

Interment will be private.