Friday, June 23, 2017 The Colebrook Chronicle Page 19
Obituaries
( Continued from page 16)
group, CRAG. Her photography was featured in many local establishments including at Fiddleheads in Colebrook. Her love of crafting began as a child. She recently said,“ When I was a little girl on the farm in Iowa I would find a needle and thread, take a handful of field corn, climb up in the hay-mow and see what I could create with strings of corn.” At 10, JoAnn ' s family moved to Redondo Beach, Calif., where at a young age she took up the violin and later become quite skilled in floral arranging. On Oct 3, 1948, JoAnn and Bud were wed; he was so smitten by JoAnn that his mother had to sign for him to get married. JoAnn passed away just four months before their 69th anniversary.
Some of JoAnn ' s crafting was born of necessity on dairy farms in Vermont and New Hampshire where she would knit hats, mittens and sweaters, and sewed dresses and shirts. It wasn ' t crafty enough so she began spinning yarn from fleece and dying it with roots and berries to use for knitting and weaving; she began woodcarving as well. Between keeping a family of six fed and clothed and hauling kids to school activities and 4-H meetings she managed to produce numerous carvings while Ed Ames crooned from the old phonograph. Somewhere in the midst of this schedule she learned to play the auto harp.
As the nest emptied she dedicated more time to crafts and photography, operating several art galleries including Wood, Wool, and Weeds at the family home in Stratford. With age, the crafts became more intricate and personal and the photography more stunning. JoAnn once said, while working as a florist,“ Flowers should be for the living.” If you wish to honor her memory please send a bouquet to someone who is needing a smile or teach a neighbor kid to bake a pie, make a donation to a local art group, or just pause to appreciate the beauty in someone or something you may otherwise pass by.
Besides her loving husband, JoAnn is survived by her sister, Dianne Warner, of San Francisco, Calif.; her daughters, Suzanne Ludlam and husband Roland of Fairfax, Vt. and Kathleen Cantin of Montpelier, Vt. and Jennifer McGee of Whitefield; her sons, Harold Boydston, Jr., and his wife Brenda of Jacksonville, Fla. and Matthew Boydston and his wife Lynn of Vancouver, Wash. A sister-in-law, Barbara Benton of Wisconsin; 17 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her brother, Lawrence“ Sonny” Benton; and a son, Howard Boydston, in 1977.
Joann’ s friends will be arranging art shows in JoAnn ' s honor this summer. A service for JoAnn will be arranged later this fall; those interested in attending, please email her son Matthew at matt @ mattboydston. com and he will reply with the date, time, and place when the family has made arrangements.