Joan Nowell Yarborough

Frances Joan Nowell Yarborough was born on November 24, 1934 in Dothan, Alabama, and died on March 22, 2025 in Franklin, TN at the age of 90. The youngest of six children, Joan was an aunt when she was born. Her eldest brother, Marvette, had two children before she was born, so she was younger than her nephews!
Though born a woman in the deep south in the 1930's, Joan did not let time and place define her. She was the first in her family to graduate from college. She attended Tift College where she majored in Modern Languages. Joan later moved to Nashville and worked at the Baptist Sunday School Board, where she met her first husband, James Yarborough. They were married in May of 1964 and had three children. They remained together 39 years until James passed away in 2003.
Joan worked at Belmont University from 1981 until her retirement in 2004. For most of her career, she was Director of Public Relations and edited the Belmont Circle magazine.
She enjoyed communing with friends and family, whether walking in nature, gardening or poring over countless puzzles. She was a great cook and loved having people over to share meals. The food and fellowship often ended with her celebrated hot fudge pie.
Joan and James hosted many international students in their house for different lengths of stay. The prize catch, of course, was Fariborz Rakhshan. He came to live with the Yarboroughs to improve his English and later became a chosen family member.
Joan was a committed and dedicated member of Glendale Baptist Church for many years. She sang in the choir and piloted the church's participation in the Room in the Inn program, which offers a safe night's stay and meals to those in need.
She was also an active supporter of civil, equal and human rights. She filled her car with recyclables she would pick up off of the street, delivered boxes of food to the hungry and drove elderly friends to the voting precinct. She served on the boards of Second Harvest Food Bank and Room in the Inn. She championed causes that supported all of God's children regardless of religion, ethnicity or outlook.
Joan enjoyed traveling, making excursions to visit her far-flung family in Connecticut, New Jersey, Minnesota, Germany, Chile, Ecuador and Luxembourg. She preferred experiences to things and provided her grandchildren with monetary gifts to travel abroad. For more than 40 years, each fall she and her family joined a group of close friends for a long weekend in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Joan also loved visiting the Cumberland Plateau with her family, where they visited her long-time friend Ralph Baugh at his cabin in Beersheba Springs, Tennessee. Many weekends were spent laughing on the porch swing, listening to the birds and hiking to Stone Door.
Joan celebrated differences and appreciated different cultures. She enjoyed expanding her mind and took language and literature courses at Belmont University, even attending a study-abroad program for summer study in Ireland.
In June of 2004, Joan married the Reverend John Laney. They had 16 happy years together and lived for many of those years at Givens Estates in Asheville, North Carolina. While there they were active members of the Democratic club and champion Wii bowlers. John passed away in 2020.
Joan is survived by her children, Julie Yarborough (Jeff Markay), Susan Jorjorian (Byron), Jim Yarborough (Sheila Cain), Fariborz Rakhshan (Leila); step-children, Mary Anne Rogers (Wes), Charles Laney (Kelley), George Laney; grandchildren, Katelyn Bissett (John), Ryan Jorjorian (Kirsten), Matthew Markay, Elizabeth Markay, Piper Yarborough, Liam Yarborough, Kourosh Rakhshan, Anahita Rakhshan; step-grandchild, Taylor Jorjorian (Tracey) and great grandchildren, Emerson Jorjorian and Theodore Bissett.
A celebration of life service will be held on June 20th, 2025 at 4pm at Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville, TN. There will be a potluck dinner following the service.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Room in the Inn in Nashville, TN, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TN or The Well Outreach in Spring Hill, TN.
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