Joan M. Kelley

Joan M. Kelley passed away on December 27, 2025. Joan succumbed to health issues which she battled off and on valiantly since she was 29 years old.

Joan was born on March 8, 1951 to Robert and Dorothy (Abhold) Kelley. She grew up on the family dairy farm near Byron, WI, that included working with two draft horses, Barney and Bud. In her early years, Joan attended a one-room schoolhouse near their farm. She graduated from St. Mary's Springs High School in 1969.

Joan received an RN degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and worked at hospitals in Jackson, WY; Seattle, WA (Harborview Hospital); and Bozeman, MT. Among other floors, she worked in the ICU and the neurology floor at Harborview.

Joan moved to Bozeman, MT from Seattle in 1979 and married David Moon in 1982. Joan had a dynamic and joyful spirit that impacted the communities she lived in. Moving out of the nursing profession, Joan started The Wine Merchant in 1981 and became a knowledgeable wine connoisseur. A focus of The Wine Merchant was the renovation of two historic buildings in downtown Bozeman. Joan was Bozeman's initial historic preservation officer and helped the office become a vital entity, particularly in Bozeman's downtown area.

Joan later sold The Wine Merchant and moved to Eugene, Oregon in 1989 to pursue a Master's degree in historic preservation from the University of Oregon. She was one of the original founders and a long-time board member of the Friends of Hendricks Park. Joan obtained grant funding and pushed for the founding of the Tuesday Morning Volunteers in the Park, who thoroughly enjoyed her baked goodies every Tuesday morning for years. She was also known for being an avid gardener in Eugene.

Joan provided historic preservation expertise and paralegal work for the Moon Firm. Joan worked extensively on establishment of the Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site outside of Shedd, OR, a historic mill and water system first constructed in 1858. It is the oldest standing water-powered grain mill in Oregon and its turbines can still be seen in action.

Joan's health issues began in 1980. Despite that, she was an intrepid traveler who hiked the ruins of Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, Tikal, Chichen Itza, and Copan among many others. Only once in their travels did Joan pass on accompanying David to the top of the temples they were visiting. She often said, "I'm very glad I traveled when I was young."

Joan is survived by her husband of 43 years, David Moon of Eugene, OR. She is further survived by her siblings Kathleen Engebretsen, James (Corky), Steven (Joan Kozisek), John, and Brian. She is also survived by nieces Jenni LeCompte (Theo) and Erin Kelley (Bryan Canepa), and a nephew Derek Engebretsen (Katie Twitchell).

A Celebration of Life service for Joan is planned for May 30th at the Hendricks Park Shelter in Eugene from 2-4 pm. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Joan's honor to the Friends of Hendricks Park at friendsofhendrickspark.org or Food for Lane County at foodforlanecounty.org.

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