After a long life lived to the fullest, Joan Blacklaw of Salem, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully on April 19, 2025. She was in the presence of loved ones and, in her final days, enjoyed the company of many who came to be by her side.

Joan was born "Ann Mary Joan Roy" on August 26, 1936, in Van Buren, Maine. The daughter of Leo Roy and Isabel Boudreau, Joan was the third of five French-speaking siblings. And growing up near the Canadian border, she lived in a town where everyone else also spoke French. She first learned English from priests and nuns when she attended the local parochial school (the only school in town).

Later, the family moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where Joan would eventually graduate from Sacred Heart High School. Joan was a bright student and especially sharp with numbers. And she put her skills to use as an early trailblazer for working women. Barely an adult, she started a career in accounting as an examiner for the I.R.S. She would remain a tax specialist for the rest of her public life. And in her private life, Joan would keep as cherished keepsakes her own personal tax documents to memorialize major life events.

In her 20s, Joan met Don Blacklaw at a YMCA dance. As it turned out, the two were perfect for each other. Both had a vigor for life. They loved food, travel, and the company of other people. And they were both mathematically inclined. Though they may have not known it at the time they would grow to be not only life partners but also business partners.

When the army sent Don to Germany, Joan followed him. The two married in Bad Aibling, Bavaria, on Valentine's Day, 1959. They would continue to live together in Germany for the remainder of Don's deployment. Europe sparked the couple's shared passion for food and travel. And that spark would stay with Joan for the rest of her life. In addition to Europe, Joan explored North America, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. She made repeated trips to Dollywood with friends. Back in New England, she loved lobster and sharing food with her friends and family.

Sometime after moving back to the United Stated, Joan convinced Don that they should go into business together. They both quit their jobs and opened a new tax-consulting firm in Salem, New Hampshire, which they ran for many years. Accountants are often stereotyped as boring, introverted, or stodgy individuals. But for Joan, those stereotypes could not have been further from the truth. She was the life of the party—usually, at a party that she was hosting. And Joan and her husband made regular appearances at weddings, funerals, and other family events for their clients. Joan was not only well known, but beloved in her community.

Joan outlived her husband, as well as her parents and siblings. But she was by no means alone. As the last of her generation, Joan was a surrogate parent and grandparent figure for many nieces, nephews, and grand nieces and nephews. Though she never gave birth, she had many children. She played hostess to out-of-town friends and relatives. And, for those in the area, her home was the communal hub for holidays and other family gatherings.

Joan's house was a place of joy and community. She loved serving food and playing board games and card games on her dining room's lazy Susan. She was also a real night owl. She would stay up well into the morning laughing with her visitors (often staying up until everyone else went to bed). As her family well knew, Joan lived her life to the fullest. She loved everyone. And she enjoyed everyone's happiness.

Joan did not slow down. Her mind sharp as a tack, she continued to work part time as a tax consultant during tax season into her late 80s. She continued to read voraciously; her house was filled with piles of rotating books that she would tear through before sending them on to others. She continued to love going to the beach, going out to restaurants, and spending time with her friends and family.  And she never stopped hosting. Leftover food was merely an excuse for her to host another game night to serve the leftovers.

Joan is preceded in death by her husband Don; her parents, Leo and Isabel; and her siblings Leo Roy, Wilfred Roy, Ruby Nealey, and Gerald Roy. She is survived by her sister-in-law Sharon "Chic" Duff and Sharon's husband Mike Duff; her nieces and nephews Denise Flower, Kevin Roy, Patrice Lancourt, David Roy, Robert Nealey, Kimarie Roy, Kenneth Nealey, Deanna Perron, Pamela Dinger, Lea Proia-Roy, Porsha Roy, Jon Duff, Sarah Donovan, Michael Roy, and Nicholas Roy; more than a dozen grandnephews and grandnieces, including Christopher and Catie Proia-Roy, who knew her as "Mimi"; her good friend Mary Ann Nardella, who called her "Mama"; and many more relatives, friends, and members of the community. Joan was deeply loved, and she will be deeply missed.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 27th at Douglas and Johnson Funeral Home, 214 Main St,  Salem, N.H., from 2 to 4 p.m. The funeral Mass will be Monday, April 28, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Church, 40 Main Street, Salem, N.H.  Burial will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery, 327 Main Street, Salem, NH.  For those who cannot attend, you are welcome to send cards or condolences to the funeral home at 214 Main Street, Salem, NH 03079.

The family would like to thank the hospice care and the nursing team at Lawrence General Hospital for their exceptional care.

For those who would like to make a charitable donation in Joan's name, the family would appreciate donations sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN  38105, or donate online at stjude.org