Joan Knutsen

Joan Knutsen

1930-2025

Joan E. Knutsen, 94, of St. Johnsbury passed away peacefully Monday morning February 17th, 2025, at St. Johnsbury Health and Rehabilitation Center. 

Mom dearly loved reminiscing with her children. We take great comfort knowing it would brighten her day especially in her final months. 

She was born December 26, 1930, the daughter of Muriel and Howard Wiley and grew up in Ridgefield Park, NJ near Giants Stadium. 

She held deep affection for her grandparents, “Bom and Pop” and spent much time of her childhood at their home at Pines Lake, where Pop taught her and her siblings the sport of fishing.

In her late teens and early 20s, Joan worked in NYC at Metropolitan Insurance and always looked forward to shopping at Macy’s in Manhattan after work with her close friends. For a brief time in the late 1940’s Joan also modeled with Barbizon School of Modeling in New York City. She had treasured friendships established early in her life and maintained connections with Jean Palmer, Helen Johansen and Dick Everett. 

On September 2nd, 1950, Joan married Hans Knutsen. They visited New England on their honeymoon, staying just outside of St. Johnsbury one of their nights, visiting Maple Museum before leaving St. Johnsbury onto White Mountains of NH, the area making a fond memory very early on. 

They resided in Northvale, NJ with their 5 children, enjoyed close neighborhood friendships and get togethers through the years. They were active members of the Presbyterian Church in Norwood. 

In December 1968 they moved to St. Johnsbury, VT. They joined the North Congregational Church (now named United Community Church), where Joan was a Sunday School teacher and served several terms as President of United Workers (Woman’s Group) and served on TriMu. 

Joan and Hans enjoyed 62 years of marriage before Hans passed in 2013. 

Joan was a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and great-great grandmother. Joan and Hans spent much of their retirement attending activities of their grandchildren. They loved day trips and often took drives across the Northeast Kingdom and beyond or would take a drive to Littleton or Bethlehem to take in a movie. Joan and Hans took great pleasure in attending countless St. Johnsbury Academy performances at Fuller Hall. They also loved day trips and packing a lunch and enjoyed the simplicity of having a picnic wherever their New England travels took them. They loved visiting Maine, and it held a special place in their hearts. 

Joan was an avid reader, many times having 3 books going at the same time, and was a weekly presence at the local Library, the historic St. Johnsbury Atheneum. Joan also wrote for the local newspaper in NJ, reporting on local town meetings. She also enjoyed employment at Hovey Shops in St. Johnsbury and cherished friendships with her coworkers. She loved antiquing with Hans and had a great eye for finding treasures, and she and Hans took great joy being part of the antiquing community in Chelsea, Quechee and Fairlee VT, Lyme and Lebanon NH. 

She was a skilled seamstress and in early years she spent many hours making play clothes for her children, moving on to beautiful dresses for her daughters for school and special events. She was meticulous about mending play clothes for her sons. Her children have fond memories of Mom taking them to fine clothing and shoes stores, particularly the Florence Shop in Bergenfield, NJ and The Bootery in Closter, NJ. In VT, Hovey Shops, O. Dean Hale, The Jeanette Shop and The Grey Shop. 

Joan and Hans loved spending family time at their camps in East Topsham and Newark Pond VT. 

Survivors include her five children, Elizabeth Perreault and husband Joseph of St. Johnsbury, Barbara Enos and husband Jack of West Newbury, MA, Roy Knutsen and wife Janet of St. Albans, Brenda Noyes and husband Jay of Swanton and Eric Knutsen and wife Mary of South Portland, ME; fourteen grandchildren; fifteen great-grandchildren; and four great-great grandchildren. Sisters-in-law, Lynne Wiley, Marilyn Brown, Edna Scheibe, brother-in-law Charlie Scheibe and several nieces and nephews. 

She was predeceased by her dear husband Hans, her parents, her mother and father-in-law, Kitty and Nere Knutsen, sister Patsy, brother Howie, sister-in-law Dora Duncan, brothers-in-law Roger Brown, Stuart Duncan, nephew Stephen Duncan, son-in-law John Olson Jr., and great-grandson Rowan Knutsen. 

A graveside service will be held May 17th at 11am at Mt. Calvary Cemetery with a reception following at the United Community Church parlor (the former North Congregational Church).

In lieu of flowers, donations in Joan’s memory can be made to “Santa Fund”, mailed to following address: NEK Santa Fund, c/o Passumpsic Savings Bank, P.O. Box 38, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819-0038.