Joan Curtis, age 84 years, of Delaware Township, NJ, died on Thursday, March 24, 2016 at Hunterdon Medical Center, Raritan Township, NJ.

Born in Beverly, MA, December 1, 1931, daughter of the late Dr. George K. Fenn and Jane C. Fenn, she had resided in Delaware Township since 2012, having formerly lived for over thirty years in Kingwood Township, NJ. Prior to Kingwood, she had lived in Summit, NJ for many years.

Joan attended both Skidmore College and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts during her younger years. She went on to proudly finish and earn her BA and teaching certificate from Fairleigh Dickinson University in her fifties. This lead her to a teaching career with the Alexandria Township, NJ school system where she taught mathematics and science to grades 5 thru 7. Prior to her teaching in Alexandria, Joan was the Art Semester program coordinator at Drew University, Madison, NJ and taught second grade at the Pingrey School, Short Hills, NJ.

A true renaissance woman, Joan saw the art and beauty in this thing we know as “Life.” In addition to her passion for teaching, she was a well-respected artist who worked with oils and watercolors and was known for her realistic portraits and seascapes. Joan was also known for her photography, capturing images that no one else seemed able to get and then often turning them into beautiful paintings that looked almost exactly as the photograph. This love of nature and the outdoors led her to become a pilot of small aircraft, which she enjoyed tremendously and the aerial view helped to inspire her artistry.

The written word was important to Joan. She was a voracious reader and was fond of poetry, of which she wrote several poems that will carry her voice on for many years.

The eternal optimist, Joan would be the one always encouraging others, reminding them that although the situation might be tough right now, that tomorrow is always another day. This strength of both heart and character lead her to live a life of being fit and staying active; well into her eighties she continued to exercise as much as she possibly could, even when she was not feeling the best.

Surviving are a daughter and her wife, Liza Woelfel and Cheryl Frazer of Ambler, PA;  a son and his husband, Douglas Woelfel and Donald Amorosi of Delaware Township, NJ; a sister, Betsy Fenn of Beverly, MA; a sister-in-law, Polly Booth; two nephews, Jon Booth and David Fenn; her first cousin who was like a brother, Peter Redding; and her longtime personal friend, Bob Ruppert.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Bob Fenn in 1988.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Saturday, April 2, 2016 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ. A Celebration of Joan’s life officiated by the Reverend Philip Carr-Jones will follow at 4:00 p.m. in the funeral home.

Private burial services will take place in the family plot in Beverly, MA at a later date.

Please visit Joan’s permanent memorial site at www.wrightfamily.com where one can send a public or private message of condolence as well as share stories and photographs of her life.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., 20005.