Joan (Foster) Scofield's Obituary
Mrs. Joan (Foster) Scofield, age 56, went to be with her Lord on Sunday, September 13, 2015, after a long and courageous battle with ovarian cancer. Joan passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Ann Arbor, MI on April 1, 1959 to Robert E. and Nancy L. (Bonvouloir) Foster. Joan was a remarkable person defined by her nurturing nature, her dedication to family, friends, and co-workers, and her life’s mission of making the world better for those she encountered. Joan worked for over 20 years as a grant writer for Goodwill Industries where she was a passionate advocate for those served. She was an active member of First Presbyterian Church where she was involved in Faith Development, youth programs, and numerous other committees. Joan had a deep appreciation for the arts. On May 23, 1997, she married the love of her life, Brent E. Scofield. She was a loving mother to her two children, Hanna and Nicholas. Surviving family members are her mother, Nancy Foster; one brother, Mark (Sue) Foster; three sisters, Catherine Brown, Sheila (Adán) Garcia and Elizabeth (Steven) Elliott; many uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father and one brother, Robert “Bon” Foster. VISITATION will be from 5-8 PM Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at The Lee Chapel, 6291 S. Harvey St., 231-798-1100. A CELEBRATION of JOAN’S LIFE will be held 11:00 AM Saturday, September 26, 2015 at First Presbyterian Church, 2577 Wickham Dr., Muskegon, MI 49441 with Rev. Jim Rausch officiating.
"It is with sadness that I must let you know that Joan Scofield has passed from this world. Joan worked for Goodwill for over 20 years, retiring as her cancer progressed. I was lucky to spend the entire 20 years with her at Goodwill. She was truly my best friend at work, which, of course, spilled over to our families, weekends and good times outside of work. Joan battled cancer for 4 years and for all but the last 3 days, lived each day to the fullest. It was about living for her, not dying. Many of you probably didn’t even know her cancer had progressed to this point, especially if you followed her Facebook page. This summer alone included a trip to San Diego, a trip to her brother’s island, several weekends at Silver Lake and even as recent as last Saturday, a day spend on the beach at Grand Haven where she declared, “this is heaven”. She was very sick, yet she was determined to make memories and crammed all she could into her abbreviated life.
Joan was a remarkable person defined by her nurturing nature, her dedication to family, friends, co-workers, and her life’s mission of making the world better for those she encountered. As a job developer for Goodwill, she was truly an advocate for those we served. Joan and I shared the grant writing role as we raised our children. Her writing skills were truly exceptional and her legacy can be seen in our Achieve program, WIA youth, Reach and Visions Programs, our TWE program, AmeriCorps, Financial Opportunity Services and Prisoner Reentry. Without her ability to put ideas into writing, these programs may not exist today. Joan’s final position at Goodwill was in community relations, where, again, her excellent writing skills were put to use.
Joan leaves behind lots of people who love her (everyone she ever met, for the most part). But she will be missed most intensely by her husband, Brent, and her children, Hannah and Nick.
I loved Joan with all my heart. I just needed to tell you all that. She will be so missed."
Written by Joan's dear friend and co-worker, Theresa Vickers MSA
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