Joan Anita Cusac

1934 - 2020

Joan Anita Cusac

Joan Anita (Hicks) Cusac died suddenly on September 9, 2020, in New Brunswick, Canada, a few miles from where she was born in 1934.

She was the daughter of Juanita (née Chase) and Austin (Ott) Hicks. Her father served as Outdoor Editor of the Moncton Transcript and was a syndicated columnist on conservation issues throughout Maritime Canada and Maine. Her mother was a determined entrepreneur, making ends meet by buying and renting cottages on the bluff near Parlee Beach and selling Avon.

Joan was the eldest of eight. Her sisters and brother still remember Joan and her sister Judy as "mothers to us younger ones," who made the happy memories at holiday time. They have adored Joan since those years and speak of her with reverence for raising them so well.

In 1956, she married Irwin L. Cusac from Peoria, Illinois. They met while he served at the Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland. They honeymooned at Niagara Falls, where they first heard the music of Harry Belafonte, a musician they loved and listened to all the nearly 64 years they were married. They were a close couple—helpmates and companions.

Many friends and family members will miss her, among them: her husband, Irwin Cusac; her children, Anne-Marie Cusac (John Watson) of Illinois, Laura Vette (Brad) of Wisconsin and Mark Cusac of New York; her grandchildren, Morgan, Kendal and Benjamin; her brother, Joseph "Joe" Hicks (Sandra Jones) of Saint John; her sisters, Janice Hayes (late John) of Bloomfield, Juanita Hicks of Shediac, Jackie Hicks (John Reid) of Halifax and Judith Twitty (late Bill) of South Carolina; several cousins; and many nieces and nephews.

Her sisters Jeanette, who died as a young child, and Jade Creighton (David) preceded her in death.

Joan lived four decades in the United States. In addition to raising her family, she attended college in her forties, eventually graduating from the University of Wisconsin System schools with a BA and a Master's Degree in Nutrition, and became a registered dietician. She worked many years for the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). She believed all people should have access to adequate and nourishing food.

Joan and Irwin raised three children in a house filled with classical music. Her grandchildren also remember her singing "Afton Water" to them every night before they went to bed. She would sing the song multiple times and replace the name "Mary" with each grandchild's name.

Joan regarded food as a profession and an art. We know, wherever she has gone and though we can no longer reach her, that she is serving a meal. During the toast, she will (as usual) forget to take a sip before putting down her glass, causing those who know her well to dissolve in giggles. And she will laugh with them.

Anyone wishing to make a memorial contribution in her name may do so with one of two organizations:

1) The National WIC Association, the non-profit education arm and advocacy voice of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (https://www.nwica.org/donate);

Or 2) Jubricosa, a vibrant theater group with the slogan "It's amazing what young people can do when given the opportunity" (https://www.jubricosa.org/online-store/Donation-p75200133).