Joan S. Youngman
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A beloved educator, dedicated daughter, devoted wife, loving mother and cherished grandmother passed away November 14, 2023. She was surrounded by her adoring husband, Carl, their loving children and four grandchildren. Joan brought her quiet inner strength to a grateful life leaving behind a legacy of wonderful achievements in all she undertook.
Joan was born on August 2, 1945 in Providence, RI. She went to public schools in Providence and graduated from Classical High School. She then went to Wheelock College where she got both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education. She had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and she knew that her purpose in life was to share that knowledge with others. She taught for 36 years in the Quincy Public School system where she specialized in math and language arts at the elementary level. She made a significant difference in countless lives, instilling in her students a love for learning that would stay with them for a lifetime. Many of her students referred to her as “their best teacher ever. “
Joan met her husband Carl Youngman in 1971 and they were married in 1974. They have two children, Andrew, born in 1978 and Julie, born in 1980. The family loved to travel and Joan enjoyed planning their trips to the National Parks, California, Idaho, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. She loved skiing both out West and at their home on Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. And even while teaching, raising two children along with her avid love of tennis at The Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman Tennis Center and skiing, she managed to continue her love for gardening. For that she won a special Beautification Award from the City of Newton.
After her retirement, Joan and Carl traveled extensively in Europe and Asia. Joan enjoyed planning her children’s weddings and taking regular “culture” trips to NYC for theatre, museums, concerts and to be with family and friends. In addition, the couple bought a home in Harwich on Cape Cod which became the focal point each summer for spending time with family and friends but mainly to relish time with her heart’s delight, her grandchildren.
Joan leaves her husband, Carl Youngman of Newton and her two children, Andrew Youngman and his wife Heather Youngman of Newton, and their two children Trevor and Nolan, and Julie Goldberg, her husband Andrew Goldberg of Sharon and their two children Sara and Lindsay Goldberg. Also, her sister Linda Feldman of Scarsdale, New York, her brother Kenneth Blackman of New York City, and her brother Richard Blackman of Warwick, Rhode Island and their families mourn her passing.
The funeral will be held Friday morning, November 17 at 10:30 am at Temple Beth Elohim, 10 Bethel Road in Wellesley, MA. Interment at Beit Olam Cemetery, Wayland, MA. A shiva will follow at the temple from 1 pm to 4 pm. The family is planning a Celebration of Life for Joan in the Spring of 2024.
In lieu of flowers, acknowledge of Joan can be made by sending a donation to Dr. Matulonis Gynecologic Cancer Fund. C/O The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, YCCC 1420; and mailed to: Dr. Ursula Matulonis, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.