Joan Maxine Liddell

Joan Liddell was born on May 3, 1933, on a farm in Center Township, Emmet County, Michigan to John and Ann Kaniarz. She was the eldest of six siblings. She grew up in Michigan, first in Detroit and then the family moved up north to Harbor Springs.

Joan earned her bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University and then her master’s at San Diego State College, now San Diego State University.

She has lived in San Diego since the 1950’s. She was married to George Liddell, her soul mate, for 41 years before he passed away in 2003.

Teaching and education were Joan’s passion. She worked for the San Diego Unified School District for 41 years. She started out as a teacher and then moved on to become a vice principal and principal for Taft Junior High and Mission Bay High School and then area operations manager for Claremont and Kearny Cluster Schools, until she retired as the director of instructional materials for all the SDUSD schools.

She was an active member of her community throughout her life. Joan was part of the Soroptimist International of Mission Bay for 38 years, holding multiple offices including five terms as the president. She was a part of the San Diego Chapter of the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge for ten years, including two years as the president. She was a busy woman who loved going out with her friends for lunch and catching up on the hundreds of books in her house.

When she retired in 1993, Joan stayed busy as an adjunct staff member at Point Loma Nazarene University. In 1988, Joan was awarded the Tribute to Women and Industry Award and received the Woman of Accomplishment Award from Soroptimist International of San Diego in 1997.

Joan was a gracious host, throwing parties for family and community alike. She loved all the major holidays, but Christmas was her favorite. Joan is survived by three sisters, one stepson, eight nieces and nephews, 11 grand-nieces and nephews, seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, one great-grandniece and one great-grandnephew.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, September 29, at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time at Saint Brigid Parish, 4735 Cass Street, San Diego, California 92109. Festive attire is encouraged, as Joan wished for her life to be celebrated without any gloom.

For those unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed at https://vimeo.com/event/5301682/88280a3e65.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your favorite charity in Joan’s honor.