Obituary: Joan Crawford Christensen Smith, Of Wilton

WILTON, CT — Joan Crawford Christensen Smith passed away on Sept. 17, 2020, due to a brief illness. She was 89 years old. She was born in Springfield, NJ, on Feb. 20, 1931, to Gordon and Ann Christensen. She graduated summa cum laude from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She married John Cameron Smith whom she met at Brown, and they settled in Madison, New Jersey with their six children. The family moved to Wilton in 1968. In later life Joan moved to Danbury and was a preschool teacher at New England Country Day school where she made many friends of both her students and their parents.

Joan was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She had a scathing wit, was a voracious reader, did the NY Times crossword in ink and loved a good Martini. She was a second mother to the many friends and animals who passed through our home and was often sought out for her sage advice and wisdom, often with a hilarious and unexpected spin. Although we were fortunate to have her for so long, she is and will be greatly missed.

Joan is survived by her children, Lesley and John Keogh of Danbury, Anne and Charlie Ambuhl of Wilton, Amy and Kevin McFarland of York, Maine, Doug and Jackie Smith of Stratford, Sarah Sullivan of Darien, and Donald and Kate Smith of Middlebury, Vermont. In addition, she leaves her many beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a sister and her husband, Gail and Ed Craft of Dataw Island, South Carolina, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Gordon and Anne Christensen, her husband, John Cameron Smith, and her granddaughter, Jennifer DeMeo. Her sister Marilyn Hurst passed away shortly after her.

The family would like to thank the Staff of The Cascades Assisted Living in Bethel for their care and kindness.

A celebration of her life will take place when safety allows us to gather.