Joanne Taylor Field

1934 - 2024

Joanne Taylor Field, 89, of Springfield, Virginia, passed away peacefully on May 30, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer. Joanne was born on October 8, 1934, in Tonawanda, New York, to Scottish immigrants Charles and Jean Taylor, and graduated from Buffalo State University in 1956 with degrees in Elementary Education and History. After teaching elementary school for one year, Joanne became a graduate assistant in the history department at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where she met her late husband, Gary. After a brief courtship, they married in Eugene in 1959, and the two spent the next few years living overseas in Turkey, where Joanne taught at Ankara Kiz Koleji, a bi-lingual all-girls school in Ankara, while Gary pursued his doctoral survey research in the country as a Fulbright Scholar. Upon their return to the United States in 1963, Joanne taught in the Los Angeles Public School System while Gary was a professor at San Fernando Valley State College.
Upon returning from another year in Turkey followed by another year of teaching in Los Angeles, Joanne attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and received a Master of Art degree in History of the Near and Middle East in 1969.
In 1970, Joanne and Gary moved to McLean, Virginia, where she became active in the League of Woman Voters, the American Association of University Women, THIS for Diplomats, and multiple other committees and organizations. During the 1980s, she worked for the Government Finance Officers' Association and was appointed to the Virginia College Building Authority Board. In 1988, Joanne was appointed to the Fairfax County School Board, serving as Budget Chair for several years and Chair in her final year in 1993.
In 2012, Joanne and Gary relocated to Greenspring Village in Springfield, Virginia. An avid reader, she remained active in multiple book clubs, politics, and church groups until her death. She was a member of Lewinsville Presbyterian Church for 50 years.
Joanne is survived by her daughters, Kathryn A. Field (Carrie DeWeese) of Rexford, New York, and Elizabeth F. Grove (Matthew) of Arlington, Virginia; grandchildren Allison, Brady, and Christian Grove; and her brother, Robert Taylor (Harriet) of Lake Lure, North Carolina. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Gary R. Field, in 2013.
A memorial service will be held at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 8, at 3 p.m. with a reception to follow. Memorial gifts may be made to the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Foundation, 1724 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101.