Here in the Groves, resident Joan K. is one of our most famous artists in the entire building! With her strong and creative personality, it is not a normal day in the Groves if you do not see her painting, working on a puzzle, exercising or reading!
Joan was born in December 1929 and lived on Cheat Mountain, WV, in a cute little cabin among the coal miners. She lived there with her parents and two brothers named Pat and Bill. When Joan was only 14 years old, her father passed away, leaving her mother, Kitty, to raise Joan and her brothers all by herself. Joan later moved to Massachusetts, where she studied at Wellesley College and received her master’s degree in art history.
In 1961, Joan married Gordon. Together, they enjoyed a blissful marriage and raised two beautiful daughters named Ellen and Pamela (Pagan) in the Washington, DC area. Sadly, Gordon passed away from cancer, leaving Joan as a widowed parent.
Joan was always very creative and would participate in art shows where she sold her work through galleries. Joan often reminisces about all the horses and other farm animals her family owned while living in West Virginia, some of which you can see depicted in her paintings.
Today, Joan is a very social and active resident! She has a wonderful sense of humor, and you can often hear her cracking jokes with the care team and other residents. She enjoys attending music programs, assisting during baking and culinary activities, and showing off her artistic talent. We are so lucky to have Joan here with us in the Groves!