Joan Elizabeth Sinclair Sites, born April 21, 1931 to Betty Dolan Sinclair and Paul Andrew Sinclair, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 12. A native Atlantan, Joan attended Christ the King School and graduated from Washington Seminary. She graduated from Marjorie Webster College in Washington D.C. On January 29, 1954, she married Crawford M. Sites beginning a 62 year marriage that never lacked for love, friendship and excitement.
Joan was a princess to her father and her husband but with the birth of her two sons, she gladly traded her ladies trappings for the rougher gear of a “boy mom”. She was definitely one of the guys. Dirt, sweat, sports, dogs, hiking, driving, and of course, worrying became her stock-in-trade. She was active in all activities, a dauntless room and team mother and field trip volunteer through the high school years. She effectively adopted her sons’ many friends who would troop through the house or gather at the family’s cabin on Lake Lanier. This required much patience and successful remedies for home sickness, fish hooks, swimmers ear, stomach aches and water skiing 101. Mom was their mom too. She enjoyed the annual family sailing trips, a week on board the tight quarters of a small sailboat with her three “guys” exploring Caribbean islands. She always looked forward to the next trip.
Joan relished travel abroad with her husband which became more frequent after the boys left for college. Georgia Tech football and their annual trips to the Masters with their friends were among their favorite activities. She cherished her large circle of lifelong friends. Growing up in Brookwood Hills, one of her fondest memories was the festive atmosphere at the Brookwood train station when she and her friends would board the Southern Crescent to return to college. Her social calendar was packed with book club, garden club, golf and countless lunches and parties. Hers was an active lifestyle, but her greatest joy was walking the beach at Ponte Vedra with her beloved Crawford.
Joan was a sustaining member of the Junior League of Atlanta, a dedicated volunteer at the library and at the Shepard Spinal Center. She was a Patron of The High Museum of Art and a member of the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Joan is preceded in death by her husband Crawford. She is survived by her son Chip and his wife Neill, son Paul and his wife Nora and their sons Thomas and Nicholas. She is also survived by her brother Robert P. Sinclair, her nephew Robert Sinclair and niece Betty Gonzalo.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm, Tuesday July 17, 2018 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 435 Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA, 30308, with a reception at 1:00 pm in the Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Shepard Center Foundation, 2020 Peachtree Rd. NW, Atlanta, GA, 30309.
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