Joan C. Reader

Lifelong Stamford resident Joan Cherniack Reader, daughter of Isadore Cherniack and Anna Frankel Cherniack, died peacefully in her sleep on Friday, September 16th, 2011 , surrounded by loving members of her family. A regionally-acclaimed portrait artist, Joan’s approach was described by colleagues and critics alike as “carving out” or “releasing” a three-dimensional likeness of her subject from a two-dimensional piece of paper. She earned numerous awards for likenesses of prominent members of the community in charcoal, her preferred medium, and oil. Joan was a graduate of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, where she studied portraiture and physiology.

Outside of the studio, Joan was known for passion, elegance and a charming, quick wit. A lover of the outdoors, she rode horses, swam and played tennis, always finding strength in the company of good friends. Joan’s zest for life found a worthy match in her loving husband of over forty years, Norman H. Reader, a revered community banker. Norman learned the banking business from Joan’s father, Isadore Cherniack, a founder of Congregation Agudath Shalom, Temple Beth El, and Rockrimmon County Club in Stamford . Together, Norman and Joan brought Paul Reader and Janis Reader-Forgotson into the world. Norman and Joan were blessed by five grandchildren: Adam Reader; Melissa Eldred; Matthew Forgotson; and Jay and Alanna Reader; and two great-grandsons, Trevor and Ty Eldred.

A funeral service will be held at Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home 2900 Summer St Stamford , Connecticut at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday, September 18, 2011. Burial will follow at Beth El Cemetery, Stamford

Donations in lieu of flowers should be made to the Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan , Connecticut , in memory of Joan Cherniack Reader. Notes of comfort and sympathy may be sent to the family at www.leopgallagherstamford.com