Joann Duncanson

Joann Snow Duncanson passed away on October 29, 2021 following several years of decline due to dementia. Joann was a writer, poet, musician and public speaker, as well as a faithful friend, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and sister.

Born in 1930 as the 4th child of Andrew and Hazel (Gleave) Snow, Joann grew up in Nashua, NH and enjoyed a childhood in the country, feeding her imagination and love of animals. Her family later moved back into downtown Nashua where she stayed very busy with school activities and part-time jobs. In 1948, she entered the University of New Hampshire and joined the Theta Upsilon sorority. She was involved in UNH social activities, helped put on events, and wrote songs that were performed on campus. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1952.

She began her writing career at Rust Craft greeting cards in Boston, specializing in humorous verse. Joann continued to write and compose throughout her life. She was a weekly columnist for the Middlesex News in Framingham, MA for many years, then began a new column, Country Living, for the Peterborough Transcript in 1989. She won Weekly Newspaper Columnist of the Year from the NH Publishing Association in 1994. After moving to the seacoast, her writing was also featured in the Portsmouth Herald.

Joann published 3 books of prose and poetry later in her life: Who Gets the Yellow Bananas, Breakfast in the Bathtub, and Eight Crayons. She also created programs about Emily Dickinson and Celia Thaxter that were presented to audiences around New England.

In 1955, Joann met her future husband, Richard Weir Duncanson, when he was attending seminary at Boston University. They were married in 1957 and lived in Vermont for several years before settling to raise a family in Framingham, MA. There, Joann was very involved in church activities and lent her creative flair to every event and committee. She was widowed in 1973 and began a career as an executive assistant for a number of organizations, including the MSPCA and Beech Hill Hospital. Her last job was church secretary for Union Congregational Church in Peterborough, NH. After moving to the Seacoast in 2004, Joann was involved in the Isles of Shoals Historical and Research Association, the NH Poetry Society, the Friends of Weeks Public Library, and the Women’s Alliance at Community Congregational Church.

Joann was the mother of two children: Heidi Duncanson of Greenland, NH and Scott Duncanson of Camp Hill, PA. Her four grandchildren are Richard (RJ) and Joseph Duncanson of Camp Hill, PA; Andrew Weaver of Portland, ME; and Hope Weaver of Indianapolis, IN. She also leaves a beloved great-grandson, Scott William Duncanson of Camp Hill PA, son-in-law Mark Weaver, daughter-in-law Jeanne Duncanson, several nieces and nephews, and two sisters-in-law, Jean Webster of Westhampton, MA and Shirley Snow of Manchester, NH.

A Memorial Service celebrating Joann’s life will be held at Community Congregational Church in Greenland on Saturday, November 20 at 11 am. A private graveside committal at Woodlawn Cemetery in Clinton, MA will held for family prior to the memorial service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Greenland Church Food Pantry: Check payable to Community Congregational Church, PO Box 128, Greenland NH 03840. Memorial donations can also be made online at Online Giving.

Assisting the family with arrangements is the Cremation Society of NH, Hampton. To view Joann's Online Tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit www.csnh.com.