Joan Dryden May, 82, of The Villages, FL, former resident of Grosse Pointe, MI, passed away peacefully on February 27, 2016, following a lengthy illness. Joan was the devoted wife of Myron R. May, her high school sweetheart and partner for 60 years. After graduating from Grosse Pointe Country Day School, Mrs. May attended Colby Jr. College in New London, N.H. and Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
Joan made friends wherever she went. Her husband’s career took them to many places across the United States, as well as Canada, and they gathered lasting friendships in their wake. For Joan, family always came first. Education and good schools were an important part of Joan and Myron’s choices for locations with each move. She was passionately proud of her children and their accomplishments. The Mays loved to travel and enjoyed sports together. Early in her life Joan was a top-notch tennis player. She also shared her love of golf with her husband and curling, while living in Lake Forest. The Mays adored their dogs, Beauregard, Lincoln, Mac and Farley. Their canine companions were an important part of their family.
Mrs. May was an organized navigator. She excelled in organizational skills and served on many committees during her lifetime. Friends were confident to let Joan choreograph trips and activities because she did her homework and opened doors with her attention to detail. Friends willingly deferred to her for advice. Joan’s legacy of intricate needlework and knitting will live on. She prided herself on original and personal detail. She also was an accomplished artist, gifted and creative, and she always had a project going.
Admired and beloved by many, Joan May is survived by her husband, Myron, of The Villages, FL, daughter, Whitney Schlegel (Kip), Bloomington, IN, daughter-in-law Mary Ann May and two beloved granddaughters, Sydney and Bailey May, Dallas, TX. Mrs. May was pre deceased by her son, Myron, Jr. in 2013.
Celebration of life will be March 15th, 3 – 5 p.m. at the Palmer Legends Country Club, The Villages. A later celebration is anticipated for mid-May in Grosse Pointe, MI. In lieu of flowers memorial gifts may be given to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148.