CHRISTENSEN, Joan Read

January 6, 1926 - December 15, 2020

Joan passed peacefully in her home surrounded by her children. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, her father, Herbert Buck Read, was a basketball coach at Western Michigan University and had the Field House named after him. Her mother Gertrude served in the Red Cross in England during World War 2.

Joan was a profoundly talented artist from an early age. She painted a mural for the study hall while attending Western State High School. She went on to attend University of Michigan’s Art School on a scholarship, where she was given an Honorary Award for the Arts.

She met her husband Leland, a West Point Cadet, after an ArmyMichigan football game in 1946. They married at Mission Inn Chapel in Riverside, California in 1947. She enjoyed being a young Air Force wife in Weisbaden, Germany in the early 1950’s with their 3 small children, Dione, Read and Claire. They eventually moved to California where Anne and David were born in Palo Alto. Joan did grad work at Stanford University while exhibiting her artwork throughout the Bay Area. During this time, she also painted a mural for the Student Union at Western Michigan University. The family moved to Newport Beach in 1965, where she embraced the local beauty and often painted the beach and harbor.

Joan was a founding member of the Sandstone Gallery in Laguna Beach and exhibited in the Laguna Arts Festival. She excelled at many things……. writing poetry, teaching art, competitively playing board games, playing tennis, to name a few. She loved to travel worldwide……. Israel being her favorite. She took great pride in being married 62 years, before her husband Leland passed in 2009.

Joan was beautiful in life, a loving presence, who touched the lives of many. Passionate about her children, her art, and her Christian faith. Mom will be greatly missed. Her life will be celebrated in a private gathering with her family, Dione and husband Wayne, Read, Claire, Anne, and David and his wife Debbie.