Obituary: Joan Amelia Kaiser, 87, of Gales Ferry

GROTON, CT - (Byles Memorial Home) Joan Amelia Kaiser of Gales Ferry formerly of Groton, The world lost a loving soul on Saturday June 13, 2020 when Joan Amelia Kaiser, 87, passed away due to injuries sustained in a car accident.

Joan was born in New London to Anna (Smith) Lake and Emelius Lake. The youngest of seven, she was a trailblazer who through hard work and sheer determination graduated from Chapman Technical High School (New London High School) in 1951 and received a scholarship to Connecticut College, where she earned a degree in Botany in 1955. She was the first in her family to go to and graduate college, and they were immensely proud of her.

After many years as a stay at home mother to her three children, she returned to school to earn her teaching certificate and taught for a few years at S.B. Butler Elementary School in Mystic.

She then moved on to Electric Boat in 1980 where she would remain for 21 years before retiring. While there she became a member of the EBAC women's golf league where she met her close friend, Terri Morgan.

Joan was a beloved mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend. She adored her four grandchildren and was a constant supportive presence in their lives, never missing a band concert, soccer game, track meet, tennis match, graduation, birthday, or any other event that involved them.

She even continued to return to Ledyard High School after her last grandson graduated to watch her "other grandson" Zach play tennis and could be seen earlier on the sidelines of the girls basketball team watching her "other granddaughter" Maggie.

Joan could always be counted on to bring a bag of candy to share with the other spectators on the sidelines, especially during soccer season.

A lifelong fan of sports, Joan was an avid Yankees/Giants fan and was known to root rather loudly for her teams. She particularly loved watching the UCONN women's basketball team, her absolute favorite.

She would be on the edge of her seat no matter how big their lead and loved talking with her niece, Donna, during every game. She also had the pleasure of seeing a few games in person with her "dates" George and Ken.

She made friends wherever she went and the Groton Senior Center was no exception. She spent a lot of time there playing Bingo, Wii Bowling, and Mind Aerobics. Joan was also a competitive card player who especially enjoyed Pitch, Hearts, and Wizard, but loved games of all kinds. She always looked forward to the many Higgins' family game nights at which she would stay to the end - often into the wee hours of the morning.

Joan was as sharp as she was fun. She was an inveterate crossword puzzle solver and loved to read. She enjoyed dressing up on Halloween and dancing to ABBA, Tina Turner and Barry Manilow during Thanksgiving dance parties.

She will also be missed by her loving cat, Ziva, who would follow along whenever Joan walked in the neighborhood. Her unwillingness to say no to the cat led to a love-hate relationship at times, as Joan once affectionately described Ziva as "strident and domineering".

She leaves behind a world void of her warmth and fun spirit and will be sadly missed by her loving son Earl Kaiser and wife, Anita of Groton, and her daughters Wendy Fetterman and husband, Tom of Penn Run, PA and Carol Paterson and husband, Tom of Gales Ferry, with whom she resided.

She also leaves her beloved grandchildren, Jed Fetterman, Josh Paterson (and Sigma), Carly Paterson (and Chris) and Alex Paterson as well as her sister-in-law, Jeanette Burnett, nieces, nephews, and countless friends.

She is predeceased by her siblings, Herman Burnett, Lucille Taylor, Rucille "Ris" Haiss, Louis Burnett, George Burnett, Arthur Burnett, and her best friend Terri Morgan. Donations can be made in Joan’s memory to the Women's Sports Foundation, 247 W 30th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001.

A celebration of Joan's life will be scheduled. Please return to this site for updated service information.