Joan Shelley Doman

1925 - 2019

Joan Shelley Doman, 93, passed away on January 31, 2019, after a brief illness. She was born in East Syracuse, NY, on April 3, 1925. Her love of the outdoors began at a young age when her father took the family on many outings for swimming in nearby Green Lake. Her love of music began as her mother taught her piano, which she played the remainder of her life. Joan became a nurse after studying at Syracuse University and she worked at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
She left that much-loved position in order to take advantage of an opportunity to visit her sisters, who were working in Berlin after World War Two. On her return to New York, she met and married David Doman, to whom she was married for 37 years. They moved to Ann Arbor, MI in 1956 where they raised their four children.
She played tennis into her 80s and piano into her 90s. She loved to garden and enjoy the natural world. Joan had a love of adventures large and small, including the opportunity for the family to live in Australia for three years. She was often found volunteering at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, teaching school children about the natural world around them, or taking Project Transition residents on outings. She influenced the lives of those around her through her quiet example of generosity and goodness. Most of all she loved being with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Joan was preceded in death by her husband, David Doman; and is survived by her four children, Mark (Jane Allen) Doman, Brad (Fran) Doman, Sara (Frank) Wesser, all of Ann Arbor, and Shelley (Dave) Herrington of Port Austin, MI; her sister Vanne (Bob) Cowie; nine grandchildren; and 4 great-grandchildren.
A celebration of her life is planned for April 27, 2019 at the Unitarian Church in Ann Arbor (4001 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103).
Donations in her memory may be made to Legacy Land Conservancy (legacylandconservancy.org) or Packard Health (packardhealth.org).