Joan was born May 21, 1927 in Ketchikan, Alaska -- the same day that Charles Lindberg flew the Spirit of St. Louis, landing in Paris, for the world’s first aerial trans-Atlantic crossing. Joan was the third of four children born to Charles Lester Cloudy, a logger, and Doris Evelyn Wells, a telephone operator. Living in the throes of the Great Depression, the family lived in very cramped housing on Harding Street in Ketchikan, Alaska. Food and clothing were adequate, but the struggle of the times was evident as they covered holes worn into their shoes with cardboard inserts. At age 10, Joan contracted rheumatic fever – an experience that left her afraid for her life after overhearing her doctor tell her mother that she must never get rheumatic fever again or she would die. Fortunately, she recovered well and was able to easily bear and raise three healthy children.
When Joan was 12 years of age, she met Howard Banta, the boy who would later become her husband. This sweetheart relationship began shortly after Howard visited Joan’s neighbor and a 7th grade classmate arranged a meeting. From the very start, Joan was already a beauty in Howard’s eyes, and she definitely thought he was “very nice”. Their first real date, sparking a life-long love, occurred at a Valentine Rainbow dance when he was 13 years of age and she was 14.
Joan was a good student, an attentive, hard worker. In her youth, she was an active member in Rainbow girls and was elected Worthy Advisor. In Ketchikan High School, she continued to be very popular and served on the Student Council, including two years as class secretary and one year as class president. She shared her family’s passion for music and throughout high school was a member of the girls Glee Club and a second soprano in a very popular girls trio. During that time, her trio raised money for WWII war bonds. She was also voted the best-looking girl in the Senior Class.
Graduating from high school in 1946, a year late owing to her one-year absence due to rheumatic fever, Joan enrolled as a home economics major at Willamette University in September 1946. While at school, she became a football cheerleader, was in the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, was voted prettiest girl on campus and named Varsity Queen.
On Christmas Eve, 1947, Joan and Howard announced their engagement. Ten months later, her father, despondent over losing his business took his life. It was a heavy blow for Joan and it also meant finishing college would financially be impossible. Joan quit school and began working in her grandmother Hunt's bookstore and the betrothed couple solidified their future plans.
Joan and Howard were married on September 10, 1949 at the Ketchikan Methodist Church and immediately departed to Butte, Montana, where Howard was a Junior at the Montana School of Mines. On a snowy, subzero evening on December 14, 1950, Joan bore a son, Gareld (“Gary”) Howard Banta and began her life-long role of “mother” – a role she embraced and cherished.
She also embraced and gracefully accepted the unique position she needed to adopt being married to a person working in the minerals business. Not only did Joan have to be ready to pack and set up a new household due to multiple moves, but she was often single parenting, as Howard’s field work resulted in prolonged absences.
Shortly after, Howard landed a petroleum geologist position in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, and their next child, Elaine Doris Banta, was born on March 16, 1953. By early 1955 they were on the move again, this time closer to their parents in Olympia, WA where Howard was employed as a geologist with the State Division of Mines and Geology. Again, Howard was away for weeks at a time, so Joan and her two children really appreciated being close to family. In 1956, Howard joined his final employer, the U.S. Forest Service, and Joan packed up the family for their move to Ketchikan, Alaska. A year later they headed to Juneau, Alaska where on August 4, 1957 Kathryn May Banta was born. While in Alaska, Joan followed in the proud footsteps for her mother, and was initiated into the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO), an organization dedicated to promoting educational opportunities for women.
In January 1962, Howard’s job took the family to Rolla, Missouri, and a few months later to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Finally, able to live in one place for eight years, the family thrived. At the same time, Joan worked various jobs – from a plant nursery to a pharmaceutical bottling plant to a potato chip factory -- to help fund their month-long biennial automobile cross country family summer vacations that showcased the beauty of the US and allowed the family to stay connected with their extended family on the West Coast. And the job she loved most – stalwart homemaker to nurturing and supportive mother and loyal, loving wife – creating a connected, happy family where each person found ways to excel and feel valued.
Joan always supported each of her children in their activities. All her children remember how much she loved to dance to popular music with them and how much they enjoyed sitting down at the piano and watching their mother play by ear.
Her son Gary looks back fondly on his mother’s never-ending support of his numerous hobbies and endeavors, from his love of nature (including snakes!) to the installation of a ham radio tower and his journey to the rank of Eagle Scout.
In 1970, Howard was promoted and transferred to the Forest Service headquarters in Washington D.C. There Joan lived happily in one place for 15 years and saw her husband much more. While in Washington D.C., Joan continued to be active in PEO, holding many offices over the years, including President of her Virginia chapter in 1979 – 1980. She presented programs and helped with fund raising for various educational chapter and international chapter scholarships for women. Her PEO sisters were truly her cherished friends.
Upon Howard’s retirement they headed back to the West Coast to be close to their cherished family, moving to Tigard, OR finding a newly built home overlooking Summer Lake. She loved this beautiful setting, where she could be surrounded by nature, take long walks, actively engage with the neighbors as they passed by her home, and most of all, provide a home that her family loved to gather in. In addition, she and Howard continued their tradition of singing in every Methodist Church that they belonged to and Joan helped prepare young women for confirmation. In June 2014, she and Howard retired from 54 years of singing in church choirs at the ages of 87 and 86. During that 54-year period they had sung in seven different church choirs.
On May 28, 2017 Joan’s sweetheart, Howard, passed at the age of 89. Despite this loss, Joan continued to live her life, receiving outstanding and loving care by her caregiver and constant visits from her surrounding family. Highlights included chocolate treats and singing childhood songs and church hymns. On January 19, 2021, Joan died at the aged of 93, in West Linn, Oregon. In passing Joan was encircled in the love of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Joan will always be anchored in the hearts of her family and be remembered by her son Gary and two daughters Elaine and Kathryn, seven grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren for leading them into song, the sweet treats awaiting them when they visited, the shared homemade meals, hugs and unconditional love and support she gave to each and every one of them. Joan is also survived by her brother George, and many of her extended family.
Services will be planned for a future date. A private burial service will be held in Tacoma, Washington.
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