Joan Mialik

1931 - 2020

Joan Ratcliffe Mialik January 17, 1931- September 10, 2020 CHARLOTTE - Joan Ratcliffe Mialik was born to Robert Richard Ratcliffe II and Ruth Porter Ratcliffe Jones, in Reidsville, NC, where her father was employed as Head Cashier at The American Tobacco Company. Her maternal grandfather, Samuel Sidney Porter was first cousin to William Sidney Porter, aka as the renown short story writer O. Henry. Joan, known as "Dumpling" to childhood friends and family thrived in the small town and graduated from Reidsville High School in 1949 having excelled in academics and sports where she was Captain of the Women's Championship Basketball Team her junior and senior years, a member of the student government, Dramatics Club, Latin and French Clubs, Bible Club and Debate Club. Her high school pastime declaration was "thinking, meditating, and dreaming" which she lived up to fully throughout her life. In 1954, she graduated from Woman's College of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro with a B.A. in English. While enrolled at Woman's College, she married Emil Mialik. Both served as missionaries on the West Coast before returning to NC to start a family and shortly thereafter moved to Virginia. Joan taught High School English and coached the women's basketball team in Whaleyville, VA until she and her family of five moved to Richmond, VA in 1964 where her husband served as Pastor of Leigh Street Baptist Church in the historic Church Hill district, and where they addressed issues of social injustice. In 1971, the family moved to Charlotte, NC where Joan and her husband served at Wedgewood Baptist Church until retirement. Joan and Emil, both with inquiring minds, held many discussions centered around politics, religion, philosophy, and literature. Joan graduated from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte in 1981 with an M.A. in English Literature and subsequently taught English at the UNC-Charlotte campus. She volunteered at the Humane Society of Charlotte and in her leisure time enjoyed a regular round of golf with friends at Carmel Country Club. She loved getting lost in a book, especially a good British mystery, gardening, and tending to her menagerie of cats and dogs. Articulate and quick witted, she enjoyed a good joke and could tell the best. She collected and committed to memory countless phrases from her readings and could quote them years later without hesitation. Joan kept up with her children, grandchildren and friends, always preferring to send a personal handwritten letter. She was revered for her humor and insights into human nature. Her inner beauty matched her outer beauty. She wore a mantle of kindness and her trope was "live and let live". Joan lived up to Anna Seawell's words "there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham." After suffering a fall, Joan took her last breath peacefully two days later. She was preceded in death by her husband, Reverend Dr. Emil Mialik and is survived by her brother Dr. Robert Richard Ratcliffe III of Columbus, NC; her sister Judy Wilson of Reidsville, NC; her children Debbie Cates of Roanoke VA; Richard Mialik of Charlotte, NC; Barbara Fisher of Pittsboro, NC; and five grandchildren, Zac and Jordan Cates, Taylor "Elise" Mialik, Audrey and Katherine "Renee" Fisher. A small family celebration of life will be held. Her family would like to express their gratitude to the dedicated staff at Brighton Gardens of Charlotte, all healthcare providers and friends who supported Joan in her last few months. If you would like to honor her life, donations may be sent to any local Humane Society or literacy organization.