Joan Elizabeth Pappas, 84, daughter of Harry and Mandana Kent, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Sunday, April 4, 2021. She was a beloved wife of 58 years and mother to four sons. She is survived by her husband Stephen; son Tom, his wife Candace, and their children Morgan and Nicholas; son Stephen, Jr; son John; and son Mike, his wife Eunice, and their children Stavros and Theo.
Joan was a graduate of Keene High School class of ‘54 and a lifelong resident of the Monadnock Region. Joan was also locally and nationally known as a pioneer in the antiques industry for over 60 years. In 1960, she and her husband opened a one-room antiques shop called Knotty Pine Antiques, which grew to become one of the nation’s first and largest multi-dealer group shops in the country. With over 400 dealers from all over the northeast, the country, and the world, it was a must-stop shop for serious antiques dealers and collectors from the late 1970s through the 1990s.
In 1995, as the industry started changing, Knotty Pine expanded to become a well-known auction house under Joan’s guidance, and it remains nationally recognized to this day. In addition to owning and managing the group shop, she was a show promoter and dealer, appraiser making regular TV show appearances in her early years, and an author of several books on antiques. She was a lifelong member of the Cheshire County Historical Society in Keene, NH. Antiques were Joan’s life and passion, and she will be sorely missed and warmly remembered not only by her family, but by thousands of friends and customers she had the pleasure to meet and know over the years and for her love of and contributions to the industry.
Calling hours will be held Friday, April 9, 2021 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Fletcher Funeral Home, 33 Marlboro Street, Keene, NH. Those in attendance are required to wear a mask and practice proper distancing. A private funeral service will be held for family. All family and friends are invited to a graveside service on Saturday, April 10 at 11:00 am at Mt. View Cemetery, Old Homestead Highway, Swanzey, NH.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to either the Monadnock Humane Society (monadnockhumanesociety.org) in memory of Joan’s love for animals or to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) to help find a cure for this devastating disease.
