Joan Price

Joan Marie Price died at home surrounded by her family on November 10, 2021 after a courageous fight against cancer. Joan was born on January 31, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois to Joseph and Mary Giancola.

Joan graduated from St. Francis de Sales High School, Ohio University with a degree in Education, University of Nebraska with a Masters in Special Education and Michigan State University with a Masters in School Psychology.

Joan married Patrick (Pat) Price, her high school sweetheart, in 1967. After their marriage, Joan and Pat moved to Lincoln, Nebraska to continue their studies. While in Lincoln, Joan and Pat always looked forward to Nebraska Cornhusker football games and became lifelong fans. From Lincoln, the two moved to Highland Park, Illinois, where Pat accepted a job as assistant City Manager and they welcomed their first child, Jessica. Joan always remembered Highland Park with great fondness. She would often reminisce of her long walks with Jessica in the pram while window shopping in downtown Highland Park. These walks likely played a key role in developing a taste for exquisite interior design and a flair for fashion.

In 1973, Pat was offered a job as City Manager in Mason, Michigan. Joan begrudgingly agreed to move to a small town. Pat and Joan reached an agreement to stay “no more than three years”. As time passed, Mason’s charm clearly captivated her heart and she called Mason home for over 48 years. She loved the community, including being a very active parent when her children attended Steele Street School, Mason Middle School, and Mason High School. She was always present at every sporting event, school event and all other extracurricular activities.

Joan obtained her Masters in School Psychology in the evenings while raising her children during the day. From there, she impacted the lives of others during her career as a school psychologist. She began working at the Ingham Intermediate School District (IISD) where she spent her time at Camp Highfields and public schools including Leslie, Dansville and Haslett. During her time at the IISD, she specialized in Birth to Five through the Early On Program. She was an expert in this field throughout the state and respected by her peers. She was loved by parents and educators alike for her knowledge, expertise, empathy, and witty humor. Because of her professional reputation, she was asked broaden her skillsets and attend training workshops to learn to perform development assessments in neonates. She then joined the Developmental Assessment Clinic (DAC) at Sparrow Hospital. In addition to her “day job,” she worked in the DAC every Monday and during summers. There was a mutual love and respect between Joan and the care providers at the clinic.

Joan absolutely loved her career. Her relationships with the children, parents, peers, friends, colleagues, teachers, counselors, brought her everlasting joy, happiness, and purpose.

Joan also hosted a beloved foreign exchange student, Markus Arvaja, from Finland. The “year-long” visit turned into him completing high school in Mason and attending college in the United States. Joan considered Markus to be her ‘fourth son’.

Joan’s love and support for her children was always felt, even when they went off to college. Jessica attended the University of Michigan where she obtained her Pharmacy Degree. Jessica is currently a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Pediatric Hematology at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia. She is married to Michael Spradling of Ottawa Lake, Michigan, and they have three boys, Cooper (10), Griffin (8), and Sawyer (5). They currently reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Benjamin graduated from the University of Michigan with a Psychology Degree and then The Ohio State University with a Juris Doctorate. He is an attorney at Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C. in Lansing, Michigan. He and his wife Torye Santucci of East Lansing, Michigan have three children; Jonathan (13), Natalie (10), and Audrey (6). They currently reside in East Lansing.

Aaron received an Economics Degree from the University of Michigan and MBA from the University of Notre Dame. He works at CRH, America’s Materials Division. He and his wife, Anna Price (Hjelm) of Rockford, Michigan, have three children; Chloe (7), Konrad/Stepson (22), and Lillian/Stepdaughter (20). They currently reside in Austin, Texas.

Daniel graduated from Alma College where he played football and received many accolades. He works at State Farm. He has two children; Taylor (15) and Joe (13). Taylor and Joe were able to spend a lot of quality time with their grandmother after she was diagnosed with cancer, which she cherished. They currently reside in Mason, Michigan.

Joan’s beloved sister and best friend, Carol (aka, Coco), moved to East Lansing from Chicago in 1993 to be closer to her family. Joan’s children and grandchildren consider her to be like a second mother/grandmother. Joan and Carol saw each other almost every day, in particular after her cancer diagnosis. Carol was also her primary caregiver as Joan’s health deteriorated and the family is forever grateful for this.

Joan was a lover of life. She loved her family and was an advocate for children of all ages. Joan absolutely treasured her many friendships.

Although we are devastated that Joan’s physical presence is no longer with us, it brings us eternal peace and happiness to know that a piece of her lives on in so many and the world is a better place because of Joan.

A visitation will take place at Gorsline-Runciman funeral home at 621 S. Jefferson Street, Mason on Monday, November 15 from 4-6 p.m. with a short service to occur at 6 p.m.

The family would like to thank all of her amazing caregivers at University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Heartland/Promedica Palliative Care and Hospice Care Services. They moved mountains to allow her to be home during her last hours. We are forever grateful for this.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Foundation for Haslett Schools In Memory of Joan Price. More information can be found at www.foundationforhaslettschools.org