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Joan Marie Shepack Maher Carlson died on Friday June 15th at the age of 72. She passed in the comfort of her own home in Vero beach, Fl surrounded by close friends and family.
She was born in St. Louis, MO to Lawrence and Marie Shepack. She spent her early years in St. Louis, before a short time in New Orleans, LA where she attended Sacred Heart. She and her family then set roots in Summit, NJ in 1962.
Joan finished high school at Oak Knoll, before graduating Mt. Vernon college in Washington D.C. Joan met her first husband of 42 years, Jerard Maher in D.C.
Joan moved back to NJ after college and went on to finish the Katie Gibbs School before becoming a Real Estate agent for Turpin Real Estate.
Joan started a family of her own and raised her two children, Laura and David in Bedminster, NJ. In addition to being a loving mother to her children, Joan loved animals and kept the company of many cats, dogs and horses over the years.
Once her children had left the nest, Joan took on a life of fitness, becoming a certified personal trainer and a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do. She enjoyed, playing golf and fishing, but loved to ski. She often set (and achieved) her seasonal goal of being on the slopes for one hundred days. She also spent many winters volunteering for skier services on Vail Mountain.
Joan met her second husband Richard Carlson in 2013, and they married in Denver, CO. November 14, 2018. During their time together, Joan and Rick enjoyed traveling whenever possible. They spent time together in Greece, Spain and Japan. Her favorite trip was earlier this year on board a yacht in the Bahamas with Rick, her daughter, son-in-law and four grandchildren.
She will be sorely missed and survived by her loving husband, Rick, her brothers, David, James and Edward Shepack. her children; Laura (van Rooyen) and David, son-in-law, Grant; her “precious” grandchildren: McLaren, Walker, Bristow, & Grier; her niece, Sara, and her beloved dog, Charlie.
Following her wishes, Joan’s ashes will be spread in both in Chatham, NJ with her parents and in Memorial Park near her home in Vail, CO.
A memorial celebration will be held at the Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville, New Jersey on Thursday, June 27th, from 2-4pm.
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