Joan Kalloch Quackenbush, 83

Joan Kalloch Quackenbush, 83, died June 16 at the University Medical Center in Princeton, several days after suffering a serious stroke.

She was born Joan Olive Kalloch on December 9, 1927, to Elmus and Jessie Kalloch of Needham, Massachusetts. Early in life she resided with her parents and her sister Judith in Needham and Wellesley, Massachusetts, attending Wellesley High School and graduating from the Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in 1945.

She attended Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI from 1945-1949, after which she began work at the Boston Herald Traveler newspaper. She spent four busy years at the Herald Traveler, working as a feature writer, movie reviewer, and fashion advertising copy writer. Her work in advertising also led to part-time activity as a fashion model.

While working at the Herald Traveler, she met H.G. “Bill” Quackenbush, then in Boston playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. She and Bill were married on June 8, 1953 and built a home, where they were joined by twin sons, Bruce and Scott, on December 14, 1954 and third son, Todd, on July 29, 1958. Joan focused her energies on her home and family for much of her next 14 years in Wellesley, though she remained active in community affairs, serving on the vestry of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Her residence there kept her close to family and many good friends, as well as to Cape Cod, one of her favorite places throughout her life.

In 1967, Bill became head coach of men’s ice hockey at Princeton University, and the family relocated to the Princeton area. As her children grew, she had more time to exercise her considerable range of talents outside the home. Her work initially focused on community activities, such as directing the Job Roster, a Princeton University employment service for families of its staff, and serving as newsletter editor for Trinity Episcopal Church. She earned her New Jersey real estate license in 1972 and began a successful 13-year career in real estate sales for the Rendall Cook agency in Princeton.

A new element entered her life in 1979 when her husband became head coach of the women’s ice hockey team at Princeton. Joan served for the next six years as unofficial assistant coach and “den mother” for dozens of young women who played on the team in this era, to the great mutual benefit of all involved.

Following Bill’s retirement from Princeton in 1985, they relocated to Orlando, Florida, where they spent several very enjoyable years of golf and travel and met a new community of friends while providing a string of happy holiday and vacation memories for visiting sons and their growing families. Joan and Bill’s time in Florida was sadly cut short by Bill’s protracted illness in the late 90s, and they returned to New Jersey in 1997 to be close to family and friends. Following Bill’s death in 1999, Joan remained in the Princeton area, living first in Lawrenceville and then, in 2003, moving to the Stonebridge community in Skillman, where she resided until her death.

She displayed considerable artistic talent from an early age, and throughout her adult life watercolor painting was one of her chief joys. She became a well known watercolorist in the Princeton area, producing many popular works touching on both local themes as well as subjects in nature. She was an active member of Watercolorists Unlimited for many years, and her work was honored with prizes in juried shows as recently as the 2006 New Jersey Watercolor Society annual exhibition.

Throughout her life, she exhibited great good humor and personal warmth, along with a vibrant intelligence and curiosity about the world. Her insatiable reading habits inspired a love of learning in her sons, helping all three of them to graduate from The Lawrenceville School, Princeton University, and various graduate programs. She was also renowned among her friends for her spontaneous hospitality, her love of conversation, and her ability to put people of all ages at their ease. She was a beloved mother, sister, and grandmother and will be greatly missed by her sons, daughters-in-law, and her eight grandchildren: Kelly, Will, Casey, Bryan, Kathleen, Lindsay, Grant, and Grace.

She is survived by her sister, Judith Racely of Brewster, Massachusetts, and her sons Bruce and Scott, both of Greenwich, Connecticut, and Todd, of Ringoes.

A Memorial Service will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 16 All Saints Road, Princeton. Donations, in her memory, may be sent to The Lawrenceville School, P.O. Box 6125, Lawrenceville, NJ, 08648. She requested that such donations be directed to the support of student financial aid.