Joan Mary Sakalas

1940 - 2025

Joan Mary Sakalas

Woodstock, VT - Joan Mary Sakalas, 84, passed away peacefully in the evening hours of Thursday, February 13, 2025, at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon, NH.

Born on December 26, 1940, in Waterbury, Connecticut, Joan grew up with a love for learning and a passion for helping others. She attended Earlham College before embarking on a diverse and impactful career dedicated to education, social justice, and community service. Joan's professional journey began as a librarian at Stockbridge School in Massachusetts in the late 1960s. She was then a librarian and a high school social studies teacher and she worked for the Head Start organization in Maine during the 1970s and 1980s. She was deeply committed to her students. She also traveled to the (then) Soviet Union and served as a Fellow at the Carter Institute. Joan furthered her education with a Master of Education from the University of Maine.

Her career path took a significant turn when she moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the late 1980s, earning a Master of Divinity from the Episcopal Divinity School. A few years later, Joan moved to New York City and earned a Doctorate in Ethics from Union Theological Seminary. With her newly acquired credentials, Joan founded Mothers Together, a nonprofit organization that provided support and training for mothers in New York City who were reentering society after incarceration.

In the early 2000s, Joan moved to Bennington, Vermont, to serve as the executive director of PAVE, an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Joan also contributed as an adjunct professor at Southern Vermont College, Community College of Vermont, and Johnson State University (now Northern Vermont University). After retiring in 2020, Joan relocated to Woodstock, Vermont, to be closer to her daughters and embrace a quieter chapter of her life. Most recently, she lived at the Historic Homes of Runnemede in Windsor, Vermont.

Joan was known for her sharp intellect, unwavering focus, and a mischievous spark in her eye when she encountered moments of wit or rebellion. Her love for teaching and her drive to empower others were central to her life. She found joy in helping people access the resources they needed to transform their lives and pursue their goals.

Joan is predeceased by her mother, Madeline Estelle Parsons Sakalas, and her father, Joseph Anthony Sakalas. She is survived by her two daughters, Sarah Heimann of Lebanon, NH, and Deborah Heimann of Woodstock, VT, as well as her sister, Madeleine Ferry of Hinsdale, MA.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Knight Funeral Home in White River Junction, VT. Condolences may be expressed in an online guestbook found at www.knightfuneralhomes.com