Joan M. Barsalou

PLAINFIELD – Joan M. Barsalou, 78, of Hollister Hill Road, passed away on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at Heaton Woods Residential Care Facility in Montpelier.

Born April 16, 1942 in Barre, she was the daughter of Ray A. and Lillian (Moody) Hayward.  Joan attended North Montpelier Elementary School and graduated from Montpelier High School in 1960.

On July 2, 1960 she married Larry Holt in Plainfield. Following their marriage, they made their home in East Montpelier.  They later divorced.  On August 10, 1974, she married Roger Barsalou, following their marriage, they lived in South Burlington, VT and Buffalo, NY until he passed away on January 16, 1997.

Joan was employed as a waitress at the Wayside Restaurant in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  She was an avid volunteer and substitute teacher at Twinfield Union School in the late 1990’s until 2016 when she retired.

She was a long-time member of the Canadian Club of Barre, and in her spare time, she enjoyed gardening – both flowers and vegetables; photography, reading, crocheting, volunteering, painting, kayaking, wildlife observer (for the photographs), baking, cooking, spending time in the outdoors, snowmobiling, spending time with her grandchildren and giving her heart and soul to anyone who needed it or not!

Survivors include her daughters Deborah (Holt) Rathburn and her husband, Randall, Sr., of Abbeville, SC; Dawnna (Holt) Robinson and Cheryl Holt, both of Plainfield, VT; her step-sons Steve Barsalou and his wife, Brenda of Vermont; and Mark Barsalou and his wife, Jennifer of Texas; nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren as well as her sister Lois (Hayward) Lafreniere of Clemson, SC.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers David and Roger Hayward and her identical twin sister Judee M. Hayward.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date at the convenience of her family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT  05641.