JOANNA STEICHEN

STEICHEN--Joanna Taub. 1933-2010. Beautiful, elegant, spirited, and accomplished: Joanna's sudden death is a great loss to those of us who knew and loved her, both here and abroad. She was born in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and spent her school years at St. Agnes Episcopal School for Girls in Albany, New York. She was accepted to Smith College, where she discovered her love of the theatre, a passion that endured throughout her life. After graduating from Smith she went to work as a copy writer for Young & Rubicam in New York where a few years later she was introduced to world-renowned photographer Edward Steichen by his brother-in-law, poet Carl Sandburg. She married Steichen at the age of twenty-seven; he was eighty. After his death in 1973 she became the guardian and gatekeeper of Steichen's legacy and his work. She earned her master's degree in social work from Columbia University and her professional life was spent as a psychotherapist in private practice. Leisure time was devoted to travel, friends, opera, theatre and music. She was the author of several books and many articles. She was an advocate for the Montauk Library, the Montauk Playhouse, and the Hampton Day School. After she was diagnosed with Parkinson's she worked tirelessly with the Parkinson's Disease Foundation for improved care, better education, and special exercise regimes for patients battling this relentless and devastating illness. Joanna Steichen died unexpectedly of complications from Parkinson's disease at her summer home in Montauk, New York on July 24, 2010. She was 77. She leaves behind many devoted friends and numerous cousins, as well as two step-granddaughters and three step-great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name should be sent to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation at 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018, or online at: www.pdf.org