Joan Ellen Brevard

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Joan Brevard, 90, formerly of Montclair, NJ, who died peacefully at her home in East Orange, surrounded by loved ones. The beloved mother to five children, Joan was born in Bloomfield, NJ, and attended Barringer High School in Newark. When she was a child, her parents relocated to High Street in Montclair where she lived many of her growing years and later raised her family. 

A true trailblazer, Joan was Montclair’s first female mail carrier at a time when women’s jobs were limited to sales and secretarial positions. Her energy seemed to know no bounds, as she eventually left the post office to enroll in and graduate with honors from Seton Hall University, all while raising her five children. After graduation, Joan became a schoolteacher and worked for the Irvington Board of Education, where she retired in 1998 as a fifth-grade teacher. 

Joan was well traveled and took several trips to exotic places each summer. One vacation always included a week in Cape Cod with her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. She will be sorely missed by all her family and friends, who have come to cherish her giving, kind, and warm spirit. Those who came in contact with her immediately recognized her gracious and generous nature. 

Joan is predeceased by two brothers, Christopher and Frederick Willis; one sister, Harriet Embrey; and two sons, Gary and Robert Brevard. She is survived by her daughter Karen Gagnon; sons Eric and Marc Brevard; granddaughter Alyse Gagnon; a host of nieces, nephews, and friends; and her treasured Shih Tzu Sidney. In the words of Charlie Chaplin, “we’ll be loving you eternally.”

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