Date de Décès: 2008-07-10
Date de Parution: 2008-07-26
Source: The Gazette, Montréal, QC
OBITUARY JOAN DEBORAH LEVINSON MEYER Joan died on July 10, 2008 at Hartford Hospital as a result of injuries sustained in a fall. Her husband Paul died less than a month earlier. Joan was born in Montreal, on October 27, l923 and went to the US following her marriage in 1946 to Paul Meyer whom she met while studying at McGill University. In 1947 they moved to Paris where they lived for three years and where their son Jonathan was born. Her love of Paris and enthusiasm for cultural immersion stemmed from this period, shaped their travel over the next five decades, and was passed on to her children and grandchildren. After their return to the US, Joan and Paul lived for 46 years in Storrs, CT as part of the closely-knit academic community of the University of Connecticut. Throughout this period they traveled frequently and lived for extended periods in France and England. Joan made French friends, mastered French cuisine, and drove fearlessly around the Arc de Triomphe. While raising three children, she returned to graduate school and earned her MA and PhD, both in French literature. She taught at several universities including Connecticut College, Brandeis and the University of Connecticut. She and her husband co-directed the UConn Junior Year Abroad program at Rouen. Her organizational skills, mastery of the intricacies of French daily life, and genuine concern for each students welfare contributed greatly to the program. A strong and caring personality, Joan never hesitated to share her opinions and give of herself. She was passionately interested in world affairs, politics, and how people lived. She was a loyal friend, and derived strength from a wide social network over two continents. Her many return visits to Montreal spanned six decades and were marked by an energetic flurry of phone calls and visits to friends, family and colleagues as she tended relationships that she valued until the end of her life. Paul and Joan are survived by their three children: Jon Meyer, Hedy Rudne, and Judy Deane, six grandchildren, Dr. Edward and Lorraine Levinson, as well as many beloved cousins and relatives in Canada, the US and the UK. A Memorial service and burial took place on July 20, 2008 in Windsor, CT. Donations can be made in memory of Joan L. Meyer to The UConn Foundation, Department of Modern and Classical Languages (Account #: 21469), 2390 Alumni Drive, Unit 3206, Storrs, CT 06269-3206. The family thanks the staff at Hartford Hospital for their compassionate care. Published in the Montreal Gazette on 7/26/2008