Joan Stratford Spaulding

Joan Stratford Spaulding passed peacefully on June 15 in the presence of her loving family at the Gerstenberg Hospice Center. Joan was born on March 22, 1927 to Raymond and Carmen Stratford in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Joan is survived by her son Paul Pickering (“Skip”) Spaulding, III and his wife Julia and their three daughters, Katherine (24), Suzanne (22) and Joan (15), and by her daughter, Gaye Spaulding Smith, and her husband David and their daughter Kelly (20). She is also survived by her two darling ragdoll cats, Baxter and Tippy. Joan was predeceased by her parents and her brother Raymond Stratford, Jr.

Joan was a graduate of Northfield School for Girls (’44) and Wheaton College (’48) in Massachusetts, where she majored in English. A New Englander at heart, she spent the last 40 years of her life as a resident of Tequesta, Florida, a place she considered “a little slice of heaven.” She loved viewing the ocean and walking along the beach, collecting shells and enjoying the lovely weather. She was an avid reader and supporter of public libraries all of her life, a passion she passed down to her children and grandchildren. She loved crafts, especially knitting and quilting, and enjoyed cooking and baking for her family. She enjoyed traveling and collected art depicting her favorite places. Joan was loving and compassionate. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and her quick wit and infectious laugh will be missed by all who knew her.

Her life will be celebrated privately with her family. Friends may view more information online at the website for the Aycock Funeral Home, Jupiter, Florida. Memorial donations can be made in Joan’s name to Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation, 5300 East Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33407 or Tequesta Public Library, 461 Old Dixie Hwy, Tequesta, FL 33469.