SHORT PUMP—Joan Manson Marple, 84, passed peacefully at her residence in Short Pump on Thursday, October 20, 2022.
Throughout her remarkable life, Joan celebrated, above all, being raised in Brooklyn, New York, by her Swedish-American parents, Arthur and Elsa, while sharing many childhood adventures with her late younger-brother, John “Johnny”.
Joan attended Cornell University where she met her husband, Allen, and graduated in 1959 with a bachelor’s in child psychology.
Joan and Allen were married in East Williston, New York, in 1960 and relocated to Long Island, where Joan subsequently completed a master’s at Hofstra University in early childhood and elementary education.
Joan enjoyed a remarkable professional career, teaching preschool and elementary school for over 40 years in the United States, England and Canada at some of the finest private educational institutions, The American School in London, Greens Farms Academy in Connecticut, The Bishop Strachan School in Toronto and Chesapeake Academy.
While actively teaching and raising three boys, Joan and her husband traveled the world, visiting dozens of countries across five continents. Among her many artistic and cultural interests, Joan was a life-long patron of the arts, sharing her love of ballet, theater and the dramatic arts with her family and friends.
A beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, teacher and friend, Joan is survived by her husband, Allen Marple, her spouse of 62 years; her three sons, William (Joanne), David (Janet) and Daniel (Meaghan); and her seven grandchildren.
Joan and Allen are former residents of Lancaster County, where they happily resided for more than 20 years.
A private funeral service for Joan’s family will be held at a later date at her place of burial in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joan’s memory to the following institutions which she dearly loved and supported:
The National Ballet of Canada, https://national.ballet.ca/Donate/Individual-Giving-Donor-Programmes; The Swedish American Institute, https://asimn.org/support/donate; The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, https://reservations.vmfa.museum/state/Membershipanddonations.aspx?TributeOnly=True.
