Joan (Vandyke) Depauw

West Brookfield - Joan (Van Dyke) DePauw, 90, of West Brookfield, died on Monday, July 29, 2024 at Quaboag Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center following a brief period of declining health. She was predeceased by her husband Raymond who passed in October of 2017. Joan was born in Passaic, NJ, daughter of the late James S and Nellie (Hummel) Van Dyke. She graduated from Clifton High School Class of 1951.

Shortly after graduation, in July 1951, Joan married Raymond, from Paterson, NJ, starting a lifetime marriage lasting 66 years, which Joan lovingly referred to as a life-time sentence without pardon or parole. Joan and Ray lived and worked in the Paterson area for several years before moving to Worcester in 1953, the same week that a destructive tornado hit the city. Joan worked for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and then as a secretary at Mechanics National Bank, and later as a Kelly Girl on various temporary assignments for local businesses.

Joan was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ware for many years and will be greatly missed by all her friends there. She was known to be a fervent student of the Bible and used her knowledge to encourage others. Joan and her husband Ray were devoted to helping people to learn Bible truths and they conducted many home Bible studies.

Joan leaves her brother James Van Dyke and his wife Kathy of Madison, NJ, their children, James, Amy and Andrew, and six grandchildren living in New Jersey and Virginia. Joan enjoyed knitting, crochet, and sewing–being an accomplished seamstress making many of her own clothes including her high school prom and wedding dresses. Joan was an avid letter writer with beautiful penmanship. She shared a weekly correspondence with her mother Nellie and culminated in an annual visit each fall, around October, when Nellie would come for a week or two and bake pies from apples they picked from local Brookfield Orchards much to Ray’s appreciative liking for desserts.

A Memorial Service for Joan will be held on Saturday November 16, at 3:00PM in the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 124 Gilbertville Rd., in Ware.

Memorial donations may be made to the West Brookfield Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 540, West Brookfield, MA 01585.

Varnum Funeral Home, 43 East Main St., in West Brookfield is assisting with arrangements.

An online guest book is available at varumfuneralhome.com