Born July 19, 1926 in Jackson, Michigan, to Paula Lane Teer and entrepreneur Donald Teer, Joan spent much of her childhood on the family farm; she even attended a one-room school, then matriculated from Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She finished her education at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where she was Phi Beta Kappa, graduating in mathematics and having learned to fly a piper cub.

After living and working briefly in New York City as an architectural color consultant, she moved back to the Midwest to raise a family in Evanston, Illlinois, where she became active in public affairs. Joan was a member of the League of Women Voters and a social, political and environmental activist. She worked with then-husband, and Greek actress Melina Mercouri, to bring democracy back to its birthplace. It was also in Evanston that she began weaving.

Upon moving to Tucson in the mid-70’s she became active in the burgeoning cultural scene, continued weaving and helped found the Tucson Handweavers and Spinners Guild.

At the Tucson Museum of Art, Joan melded her passions for weaving, textiles and art. She served as the Chair of the Collections Committee and for many years served on the Board of Trustees, and volunteered as docent guide and educator. A self-taught expert on pre-Colombian textiles, she was a member of the Advisory Council for the The Textile Museum in Washington, DC.

As a long-time board member of the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, she worked generously and tirelessly to support the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, commissioning four compositions by Czech composer Jiri Gemrot.

Her energy was boundless and she was a regular at all the cultural events in Tucson. She loved to travel to a variety of destinations, from India to Prague.

Donations can be sent to the Tucson Museum of Art, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, or Tucson Handweavers and Spinners Guild.