October 7, 1932 – October 30, 2024
Joan Blakeslee Hyndman, 92, Noblesville, passed away on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. She was born on October 7, 1932, to Raymond Douglas and Margaret (Sutton) Blakeslee in Sewickley, Pa.
Joan was a renaissance woman full of intellectual curiosity and tremendous creative talent. She mastered every artistic endeavor she attempted. As a young woman she was a ballerina, singer, and actress who performed in the Baltimore area on the stage, television screen, and radio. A lover of the written word, she wrote wonderful poetry and was the author and illustrator of a children’s book. Her family was treated to incredible meals as she honed her skills as a gourmet chef, and candles and flowers graced the table at every meal.
However, it was when she first picked up a paintbrush that Joan found her true gift. She created museum quality artwork in several mediums. Her most astonishing work was in trompe l’oeil and magical realism which she learned as a student of Ernest Land. Guests in her home would tell her that the clock on the shelf had stopped. She would gently tell them the clock and the entire shelf of knickknacks it was sitting on were all a painting. Whether she was attending an art exhibit, listening to the latest Broadway musical recording, or simply humming in the kitchen as she cooked, Joan’s love for music and art brought joy and color to the lives of her family and those around her.
Joan was devoted to her husband, Jerry, holding down the fort while he was putting his life on the line for his country as a United States Marine and standing lovingly by his side for 69 years. She loved her children fiercely and was the kind of mom who ran the latest fundraiser, became the Scout Troop leader, sewed costumes for the school musical, and made a yellow dress overnight because her daughter needed one. Her grandchildren were the joy of her later years. They all were treated to her special hallway concerts at bedtime, shopping trips, vacations in the Florida condo, and they all basked in the special kind of love that only a grandmother can give.
Beyond all these wonderful gifts and her beautiful family, what Joan treasured most was her faith in Jesus. At a young age, she walked to a Catholic Church near her home and gave her life to Christ. Her deep and abiding faith was the focus and anchor of her life. She had a true servant’s heart, and generously gave both her time and finances to the church, most recently to Our Lady of Grace in Noblesville, which she attended as long as her health permitted. Her family mourns her loss but rejoices in knowing that she is with her Savior, reunited with Jerry and experiencing the beauty and music of heaven that called to her soul here on Earth.
Joan is survived by her children, Peggy (Rick) Naylor, Spencer (Kitty) Hyndman, and Grace (Jerry) Sell; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald Henry Hyndman.
Services will be held at a later date. Burial will be at Marion National Cemetery in Marion.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 8430 W. Bryn Mawr Ave, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60631 (alz.org/indiana).
Condolences: randallroberts.com