Joan G. Vaillancourt, 93, of Redding, longtime resident of Ridgefield, passed away on February 12, 2020. She was the loving wife of the late Richard “Dick” Vaillancourt.
Mrs. Vaillancourt was born in Jersey City, NJ on March 15, 1926; a daughter of the late Joseph and Catherine (Cavanaugh) Garrett. At a young age she relocated from Boston to Los Angeles and graduated from South Pasadena High School in 1943. Mrs. Vaillancourt later attended UCLA and graduated with a degree in Political Science and International Relations. At UCLA she was member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, and President of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority
Mr. and Mrs. Vaillancourt were married in 1948 in California and then moved to New Jersey, where she was active in many community organizations. She served as President of the League of Women Voters of Summit, N.J., and was appointed to the Summit Board of Education.
In 1973, Mrs. Vaillancourt moved to Ridgefield. She earned a Master’s of Library Science Degree and worked at the Ridgefield Library for many years as a Reference Librarian. She served on the Board of Directors for the Ridgefield Visiting Nurses Association (VNA), where she regularly volunteered to visit patients. She developed a strategic plan for the VNA, and facilitated the tax-free donation of the old Ridgefield Junior High School building by the town of Ridgefield to the VNA. She subsequently won an award for her excellent achievement working for the association.
Following Mr. Vaillancourt’s death in 2002, Mrs. Vaillancourt moved to Meadow Ridge and continued to volunteer as a resident there in several capacities.
Mrs. Vaillancourt was an intelligent, warm hearted person who took a great interest in people and made many friendships through the end of her long life. She was a gifted athlete, played women’s intramural basketball at UCLA, and was an avid tennis player and golfer until well into her later years. Mrs. Vaillancourt had a rich social life that revolved around her love of sports, art and music, and enjoyed playing bridge regularly into her 90s.
She is survived by her children: Katherine, Michelle, Anne and Peter as well as 3 grandchildren; Jaimie, Clayton and Garrett. In addition to her husband and parents, Mrs. Vaillancourt was predeceased by a son, Richard.
A memorial mass will be held at a future date. Memorial contributions can be made to: The Ridgefield Visiting Nurses Association (https://rvnahealth.org/donate), The Alzheimer’s Association (https://alz.org/get-involved-now/donate), or the Fox Chase Cancer Center (https://www.foxchase.org/giving)
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