Brenda Drury has written this lovely tribute to Joan for the STACS monthly Newsletter. “Joan was a special friend. Joan had huge enthusiasm for very many crafts and was skilled in them all, including traditional and contemporary embroidery, lace making and tatting. She had a love of handmade pots and invented her own stitch for making her own beautiful 3D vessels. She enjoyed a long running Masterclass with Jean Draper and happily learned new methods at our local courses and afar. Joan loved to tell me about her life in South Africa and how she came to England and met George and stayed. They enjoyed painting holidays and visiting numerous exhibitions; an artistic and talented couple. Joan loved her garden - we always walked round it at the end of our chats, with Joan telling me all about the plants, even when she could see very little over the last few years. When losing her eyesight, she gradually adapted to other crafts and enjoyed knitting, making some beautiful colourful scarves. Joan always looked forward to meeting up with everyone at our meetings and never lost interest in what others were creating around her; a continual inspiration to us all, our special friend.” Brenda Drury