Social worker and volunteer radiated kindness and had a boundless ability to connect with others of all ages
A brilliant star was extinguished on Sunday, October 6, 2024, when Joan Hartman Kaye departed this world. Born in Chicago on May 14, 1935, to Charles Hartman and Ruth Wollenberger, Joan attended Indiana University, married “Mayor” Ken Kaye in 1956, then moved to St. Albans, Vt., where they established careers and raised three children. Those who had the good fortune to encounter Joan’s lifetime journey experienced her boundless ability to connect with others of all ages (she became “Mom” and “Grammy” to countless folks). They also experienced her infectious — often irreverent — sense of humor, her uncanny ability to counsel others through her scarily accurate tarot readings and a kindness that radiated from her, seeming to invite total strangers to share with her intimate details from their lives. She, in turn, would offer just the right support, advice and love, making you friends for life from then on. She was an avid reader — you did not want to play any trivia game with her — a lover of music who could not carry a tune or whistle, and an animal magnet. She had an insatiable sweet tooth and was a talented sketch artist and crossword puzzler. In her early years, Joan was a stay-at-home mom until all three children were in school. Always a social worker at heart, she started out as the medical social worker at Kerbs Hospital and later left to join St. Albans Home and Health Agency. Following that position, she became a pillar member of the staff at the Community College of Vermont, where she designed courses called Dimensions of Learning. These courses gave support to countless Franklin and Lamoille County residents wanting to enter the world of college, when school perhaps was never easy for them. She was forced to retire when she needed to spend time in Chicago at the end of her mother’s life. Beyond her career and raising children, Joan sat on the board of the now defunct Warner Home and was active on the board of her beloved St. Albans Library, where she volunteered many hours. In her later years, Joan and Ken enjoyed motorcycle trips, camping, traveling the world and snowbirding in Sarasota, Fla. Joan leaves behind her children, Laurie (Dave) Singer, Dave (Mary) Kaye and Marjie (Mitch) Sheppard; grandchildren, Daniel (Brandi) Singer, Sheara (David) Heon, Charlie and Zoe Sheppard, and Emily and Abby Kaye; and granddogs,…
Social worker and volunteer radiated kindness and had a boundless ability to connect with others of all ages
A brilliant star was extinguished on Sunday, October 6, 2024, when Joan Hartman Kaye departed this world. Born in Chicago on May 14, 1935, to Charles Hartman and Ruth Wollenberger, Joan attended Indiana University, married “Mayor” Ken Kaye in 1956, then moved to St. Albans, Vt., where they established careers and raised three children. Those who had the good fortune to encounter Joan’s lifetime journey experienced her boundless ability to connect with others of all ages (she became “Mom” and “Grammy” to countless folks). They also experienced her infectious — often irreverent — sense of humor, her uncanny ability to counsel others through her scarily accurate tarot readings and a kindness that radiated from her, seeming to invite total strangers to share with her intimate details from their lives. She, in turn, would offer just the right support, advice and love, making you friends for life from then on. She was an avid reader — you did not want to play any trivia game with her — a lover of music who could not carry a tune or whistle, and an animal magnet. She had an insatiable sweet tooth and was a talented sketch artist and crossword puzzler. In her early years, Joan was a stay-at-home mom until all three children were in school. Always a social worker at heart, she started out as the medical social worker at Kerbs Hospital and later left to join St. Albans Home and Health Agency. Following that position, she became a pillar member of the staff at the Community College of Vermont, where she designed courses called Dimensions of Learning. These courses gave support to countless Franklin and Lamoille County residents wanting to enter the world of college, when school perhaps was never easy for them. She was forced to retire when she needed to spend time in Chicago at the end of her mother’s life. Beyond her career and raising children, Joan sat on the board of the now defunct Warner Home and was active on the board of her beloved St. Albans Library, where she volunteered many hours. In her later years, Joan and Ken enjoyed motorcycle trips, camping, traveling the world and snowbirding in Sarasota, Fla. Joan leaves behind her children, Laurie (Dave) Singer, Dave (Mary) Kaye and Marjie (Mitch) Sheppard; grandchildren, Daniel (Brandi) Singer, Sheara (David) Heon, Charlie and Zoe Sheppard, and Emily and Abby Kaye; and granddogs,…
