Wolfeboro, NH

Joan Baldwin, age 63 of Wolfeboro, NH died on March 15, 2017 due to complications from Diabetes.  Her beloved dog Daisy was by her side.

Joan was born to Earl F. (Bud) and Phyllis (Maynard Baldwin of Lexington, Massachusetts on January 6, 1954.  Joan graduated from the Lexington High School, attended Rippon College in Wisconsin, and graduated in 1976 from UNH, where she also obtained a Master’s Degree in Special Education in 1982.

Joan was committed to Lake Wentworth in Wolfeboro, NH.  She spent summers at the lake and purchased a camp on Cate Island.  Joan became a year-round resident of Wolfeboro in 2004.

Joan lived a full and active life despite developing Juvenile Diabetes at the age of 11: water skiing, and traveling.  She showed great courage three years ago undergoing and recovering from a septuple coronary artery bypass.

While working in Portland, ME Joan developed a love for sailing on Casco Bay, and bought her first sailboat Moonraker there. When she moved to Michigan, Moonraker went with her, and she continued sailing on Lake Michigan. Joan worked as a teacher and as an adjuster in the insurance industry.  Joan was married for 17 years, and with her ex-husband sailed the Blue Star through the Great Lakes, canals and locks, the St. Laurence River, past New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and down the eastern seaboard to Florida, the Caribbean Islands, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. 

In her later life, Joan worked for several years as a Licensed Nursing Assistant with disabled and elderly patients supporting them to stay in the community and at home. Joan’s kindness and competence were frequently remarked upon. 

Joan was a loving sister to Linda Baldwin, deceased of Marin, CA, Beth Baldwin, Lexington, MA, and Richard and Kate Baldwin, Wolfeboro, NH, and a devoted aunt to her nieces and nephews: Emily, Nate, Rebecca and Jamie Grossman; Grace, Alice and Lucy Galvin; and Alissa, Jennie, and Ben Baldwin. Joan is survived by her long-term boyfriend Blair Moody. 

A memorial service will be held in July at the Wolfeboro Center Community Church, Wolfeboro Center, NH. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made in Joan’s name to the Joslin Diabetes Center, One Joslin Place, Boston, MA 02215 or the Wentworth Watershed Association, Box 834, Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896.

 Service Information