Florence J. Koons Obituary
April 7, 1934 ~ March 17, 2023
Florence J. "Joan" (Carpenter) Koons passed away on March 17, 2023 at the age of 88. She died peacefully in her room in the Countryside Nursing Unit of Homewood at Martinsburg, PA. Joan was born on April 7, 1934 in Haverford, PA, the daughter of the late Richard S. and Florence M. (Falls) Carpenter, and was united in marriage on November 6, 1954 to Hiram C. "Bud" Koons, who passed away on July 19, 2020. She was preceded in death by her brother Richard J. Carpenter on November 19, 2001, her son Glenn B. Koons in September 2011, and her great-granddaughter Emery Grace Stiffler on April 13, 2021. Surviving are Joan's daughter Kathryn L Parks of Imler, PA, her grandchildren Nicholas C. Koons and Abigail L. (Koons) Waltz, both of East Freedom, PA, Angelica L. (Koons) Stiffler of Bedford, PA, Lucynda M. Parks and Emily R. Parks, both of Imler, PA, and five great-grandchildren.
Joan was a mover and a shaker, with a long list of accomplishments reflecting her love for her family and her community, and the ocean, bay and beaches of Long Beach Island, NJ. She started a paying job at Bell Telephone right after high school, but left after two years to marry and start her family. All of her endeavors from that point forward were on a volunteer basis with little or no pay. She was the Librarian at Royer Greaves School for the Blind in Paoli, PA from 1968-1988, averaging 20-30 hours per week creating and maintaining sensory aids and working with the students, most of whom also had severe mental deficiencies. She was President of the Junior Women's Club of Malvern, PA from 1966-1970, actively involved with the local Boy Scout troop from 1964-1975, and a Girl Scout leader from 1974-1980, both of Paoli, PA .. Her dearest cause after moving to Long Beach Island, NJ was the Alliance for a Living Ocean group, of which she was President from 1992-2001. ALO is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to promoting and maintaining clear water and a healthy coastal environment through education and research. She spent countless hours working with the public and local and state government agencies, including the Governor of NJ, to successfully achieve ALO's goals. Joan was devoted to making a difference in the world, and the improvements made to the beaches and waters of NJ during her time with ALO are a testament to that, as well as the many awards and accolades she received.
When Joan and Bud moved to Homewood at Martinsburg in 2005, they immediately became active in many projects including Friday Night at the Movies, Halloween trick-or-treat for the public, the Recycling Committee, and delivering flowers from Sunday services weekly around the Homewood campus as Chapel Volunteers, to name a few. Joan was a regular contributor to the Homewood Hitching Post publication, and was instrumental in planning, organizing and running the first Silent Auction at Homewood in 2009, which has continued ever since as an annual event. She also loved gardening, reading the newspaper (cover to cover), collecting Cobalt "Blue" glass, anything from Japan, and was an avid supporter of any kind of "local" art.
There will be a public visitation from 11am until the funeral service at one on Friday, March 24, 2023, at the Good Funeral Home Inc., 108 Alto Reste Park, Altoona, PA.
Memorial contributions may be made to Homewood at Martinsburg, 437 Givler Dr., Martinsburg, PA 16662.