Joan Curran Inscoe

Age never held her back as she choreographed an active life that included volunteering and playing tennis into her mid-80s.

A beloved member of First Presbyterian Church of Newton, Joan sang alto in the chancel choir for more than 40 years. She was the choir’s music librarian and led children’s music for the church LOGOS program.

She also volunteered as a reading tutor at Thornton and later North Newton elementary schools from 1994 until she began chemo in 2020. "It’s not just about reading improvement,” she told the Hickory Daily Record in a 2018 story highlighting her work with students. “It’s about building self-esteem.”

Tennis was another passion, which Joan pursued with exuberance after moving to Newton from the Philadelphia area in 1969. In her first doubles tournament at Catawba Country Club, she and her partner Frances Inscoe came in second in the consolation bracket. “We were next-to-the-best of the worst!” she told her family with delight.

Joan spent her career as an executive secretary, working for companies including IBM and Siecor (now Corning).

Born in Philadelphia, the daughter of a city bus driver and a church choir director, she grew up singing around the piano. She sang in choirs all her adult life and was also an accomplished dancer who volunteered with the USO to entertain troops at the Philadelphia Navy Yard when she was 18. She did a tap routine to “Ain’t She Sweet” and a hula to “Lovely Hula Hands.”

As a young mother of three daughters, she took ballet and tap lessons and performed with a Broadway-style, song-and-dance group made up of members of the church she then attended. At her bedside on New Year’s Eve, Joan's daughters sang favorite family songs such as “Edelweiss” from “The Sound of Music” and the Beatles' “All My Loving.” “Close your eyes and I’ll kiss you,” they sang, “Tomorrow I’ll miss you.”

Joan is survived by her husband of 36 years, Dr. Joseph William “Bill" Inscoe of Newton; daughters Kathy Haight (Jim Morrill) and Jeanne Alexander (Ralph) of Charlotte and Barbara Haight (Shane Jones) of Durham; stepdaughter Lynette Inscoe (RaeAnn Hennes) and stepson Rob Inscoe (Vickie) of Newton; and grandchildren Max Morrill (Sara Francis), Laura Gerlock (Lisa Orlando), Kate Alexander, Callie Inscoe, Joseph Inscoe, Tyler Inscoe and Preston Inscoe. Joan was preceded in death by a grandson, Will Morrill.

A service to celebrate Joan’s life will be held at 1:30 p.m. Monday Jan. 10 at First Presbyterian Church of Newton, 701 N. Main Ave. in Newton. Because some family members are immunocompromised, and out of an abundance of caution regarding COVID-19, the family respectfully asks that masks be worn at all times prior to, during and after the service. For those unable to attend, a link to the live video stream will be at: https://files.constantcontact.com/eaefa6d8201/115211a4-ec32-4670-b0c0-e1ef4c037e94.pdf

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Newton-Conover City Schools (605 N. Ashe Ave., Newton, NC 28658) to fund tutoring at North Newton Elementary or to First Presbyterian Church of Newton (701 N. Main Ave., Newton, NC 28658) to fund music programs or to a charity of your choice.