Mary Joan Boisvert

Joan Boisvert, age 88, found peace on September 1, 2013. She was born Mary Joan Baumgartner to Frank Royden and Mary Aileen (Sullivan) Baumgartner in Detroit, Michigan on May 28th, 1925, and was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Louis; and brothers Jack, Bill, Paul and Dick. She is survived by her five sons, Paul (Bleue), Peter (Julie), Michael (Maria), John and Bill; grandchildren Gabriel, Joseph, Madeleine, Ann, and Isabel; her cousin; Ann Rohr; and numerous nieces and nephews. Among those she also leaves behind are her niece and annual Northern Michigan summering companion, Aileen Baumgartner; good friends and in-laws Jerry and Sue Janusz; and dear friends Betty Pickering, Ray and Carol Litt, John and Elaine Carroll, Ron Streitz, Susan Hahn Barbara Lennon. In her last years she spent a great deal of time in the loving care of her friend Liz Cohen. Joan was a graduate of the Sacred Heart Convent School in Detroit and attended the University of Detroit. She worked for the City of Detroit’s Women, Infants and Children program and later helped run the Campus Ministry at the University of Detroit. For the final 20 years of her career she served as business manager of Pewabic Pottery in Detroit. During the 1960’s and 1970’s Joan was very active in the civil rights and fair housing movements in Detroit. She was one of the original organizers of Focus: Hope and a founder of Community Action Neighbors Northwest. Joan was a woman of many colors and interests. She was a committed urbanite, but also enjoyed spending her summers swimming in the chilly Lake Huron waters around Cheboygan. She loved debating philosophy and politics and challenged others around her to care as much about social justice as she did. Joan was an avid gardener, a health food enthusiast, and a crossword puzzle aficionado. Her friends and family will remember her best as the moral and emotional center of a home where everyone was welcome. She opened her doors to people with nowhere else to go. For many years she hosted one of Detroit’s most vibrant Christmas parties, where Christians and Jews, believers and non-believers gathered to sing carols, savor fish chowder and celebrate the season. Her warmth, humor and and selfless concern for others enriched the lives of all who knew her. A memorial service is planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends donate to charities of their own choosing which honor Joan’s lifelong desire to serve the least well off among us, to eradicate hunger and to enhance the health, safety and economic security of women.