Friday, December 2, 2016
The Colebrook Chronicle
Obituaries
(Continued from page 16)
Home in Lancaster. Please go to
www.baileyfh.net for more information or to send an online condolence.
Joan Colburn deVillafane
JOAN COLBURN
DEVILLAFANE
WHITEFIELD–Joan Colburn
deVillafane, 84, of Partridge
Lane, died at The Morrison in
Whitefield, on Tuesday morning,
Nov. 29, 2016.
Joan was born in Brattleboro,
Vt. on Sept. 19, 1932, the daughter of Frank V. and Minnie L.
(Brown) Colburn. She was a
1950 graduate of Brattleboro
High School and a 1953 graduate
of Mary Hitchcock School of
Nursing.
On Jan. 16, 1954 she married
Jorge Alberto deVillafane MD. In
1956 they moved to Whitefield
where Jorge established his medical practice. While raising her
family Joan was an active volunteer with many community services and organizations such as
the Whitefield Women’s Study
Club, immunization clinics for
children and adults, pre-school
vision and hearing screening
clinics, Community Baptist
Church Ladies Circle, Hospice
volunteer, she taught Sunday
School and was a member of the
Coos County Medical Auxiliary.
Joan was an active member of
St. Paul’s Church in Lancaster
and served on the Church Search
Committee.
In 1971 she started a 23 year
career as school nurse in the
White Mountains Regional
School District. She found this
long career most fulfilling and
organized the Coos County
School Nurse Association.
Having served in many other
capacities she was a member and
past president of the N.H. School
Nurses Association, a Legislative
Chairperson, and a N.H. delegate to the National Association
of School Nurses. In 1994 Joan
was the first school nurse in the
State of N.H. to receive the
Excellence in Education Award.
That same year she was also
awarded N.H. School Nurse of
the Year. She was an active
member of the Delta Kappa
Gamma Society and serving several offices including past vicepresident of the professional
Affairs Committee.
In 1984 Joan completed the
Bachelor of General Studies with
an area of specialization in
Health Education from the University System of N.H., School of
Lifelong Learning.
Joan was a devoted wife and
mother who loved home and family and doing things with husband,
children
and
grandchildren. Her interests and
hobbies included winter sports
such as skiing and snowmobiling
and during the spring, summer,
and fall spending time at the
lake. She enjoyed sewing, knitting, tailoring, quilting, a daily
walk and quiet time to read. She
considered herself a lifelong student.
She was known as “Mrs. D” to
all her students, their children
and some of their grandchildren.
Jorge predeceased her in 2004,
she was his primary caregiver as
he suffered a “long goodbye” with
Alzheimer’s Disease.
Surviving family members
include three children, Charles
Scott deVillafane and his wife
Ann of Gardner, Mass., Brenda
Marie Harwood of West Brattleboro, Vt., Theresa Ann deVillafane-Moll of Lunenburg, Vt., a
brother Bernard “Bernie” Colburn and wife Jeannette of Brattleboro; five grandchildren, Zac
and his wife Amanda, Benjamin,
Lisa, Nicholas, Kyle, Gabe; and
three great-grandsons. She was
also predeceased by a son Jorge
A. deVillafane Jr. i n 1979.
Visiting hours will be held
Saturday afternoon, Dec. 3, from
3-5 p.m. at the Bailey Funeral
Home, 210 Main Street, Lancaster. A funeral service will be
held Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
at St. Paul’s Church, 113 Main
Street, Lancaster.
Reverend
Timothy Brooks, pastor, will officiate.
Donations may be made in her
memory to the Alzheimer’s Association NH Chapter, 166 South
River Road, Suite 210, Bedford,
NH 03110 or the Caleb Interfaith
Volunteer Caregivers, 38 King’s
Square, Whitefield, NH 03598.
Please go to www.baileyfh.net
for more information or to send
an online condolence.
Page 19