Joan K Duffett

Joan Kinnaman Duffett, 89, died peacefully in her sleep after a short stay in hospice care in Auburn, Alabama on Sunday, November 5th, 2023. 

An avid Georgia Bulldawg supporter for the men’s football and women’s basketball program, Mom, Grandma, Grammie, Great Granny, and/or Joan will be missed by everyone except for Aubie, the University of Auburn Tigers mascot, who regularly stopped by her senior community located in Auburn.  Dressed in her normal Red and Black attire, Joan would always rise to the occasion to meet Aubie and get her picture taken making sure to highlight the Bulldawg paraphernalia that her wardrobe supported.

Along with her deceased husband, John R. Duffett, Joan raised three (3) children, Bob Duffett (Gulf Shores), Warren (Janet) Duffett (Indianapolis), and Deborah (Evert) Duin (Auburn) and had been blessed with seven (7) grandsons; Dan, Taylor, Matt, Brian, Bryce, Tom, and Will and her favorite granddaughter, Kim.  For the last five (5) years, she greatly enjoyed the title of Great Granny to her two (2) great granddaughters, Georgia and Sadie.  It was over the past month, as she knew that her health was failing, when she spent more time with her grand kids on the phone (or telling us around her bedside) praising their accomplishments, wishing them well for their futures, and telling them how proud she and G-Pa were of all of them.  Only in the last week of her life did she tell us that the most amazing part of her aging journey was that she was now spending time with those that she loved, catching up with family and friends that she had lost track of, and telling all how much they meant to her life – she then said, “we should be doing this our entire life”.  Indeed, the last weekend of her life presented those with her and those with whom she spoke some very lasting and lucid memories.

Joan was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri on October 5th, 1934 to Jack Lewis and Margaret Frans Kinnaman.  Along with her sister, Lenore (Barry) Hiney, her parents preceded her in their passing from this earth.  Her youngest sister, Peg (Bob) Tamagny, resides in New Jersey.  She was a Registered Nurse (RN) by education and training from the Mountainside Hospital Nursing School in Montclair, New Jersey and had utilized her nursing skills across many disciplines of nursing including Hospital Medical Surgical, Private Doctor Office, Nursing Home, Hospital Patient Representative, and Adult Day Care with likely her most favorite being the many years she spent in Athens, Georgia growing the Athens Adult Day Care with the Athens Community Council on Aging.  Always the advocate for the underserved, she recently said that this was her most enduring cause.

Often, Joan spoke of the many places that she had lived in her life growing up and afterwards while raising her own family.  She had formed many friendships that had lasted the majority of her life and some that had grown over the past few years within her Senior Community.  She enjoyed sitting under the tree at her home with friends, solving the worlds issues, laughing at the stories being told, speaking of the food that she was being served, and as one can imagine, making up a few stories as she went along.

For most of the past six (6) years, Joan lived nearest to her daughter, Debbie, and was fortunate to have the support of Debbie and her family for regular visits and outings.  She had the technology support of her grandson, Matt (Anna MacKenzie), via frequent visits and phone calls to ensure that she was able to use her computer, iPad, and/or iPhone to keep in touch and her TV remote to watch her favorite shows at volume level 39.  She was not technologically gifted and she was a challenging student to teach, but she greatly enjoyed the ability for family and friends to keep in touch.  A few times each week, mom would spend time on the phone talking with Janet and Warren maintaining contact with what her ‘northern family’ was doing and sharing opinions on her local events.  No matter who she was talking to, she always wanted to know what the grandkids were doing.

As her health deteriorated quickly over the last few months, she told her doctors this past week that “…if this is 89, I do not want any part of it.”  As was her way of communicating, she said what she meant, but she did it with such a matter-of-fact manner, you did not know if she was kidding or was serious.  She was serious.  Until the end, she was fiercely independent in her actions and her thoughts.  She was loved and will be greatly missed.

A memorial service will be held at 10 am on Monday, November 20th, 2023 at the First Presbyterian Church in Auburn, Alabama.  In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Joan Duffett Fund at First Presbyterian Church, 143 East Thach Avenue Auburn, Alabama 36830 as she wanted to help the church do more to enable mobility for seniors within the church and for its outreach. Her interment will be at a family plot in Lewiston, Maine at a later date.