Joan Carolyn Mott

Joan Carolyn Mott, 80, of Idaho Falls, passed away October 29, 2021, at Morning Star Senior Living Center. Joan was born February 7, 1941, in Hammond, Indiana, to Leslie Thomas Hansen and June Marie (McCoy) Hansen. She grew up and attended schools in Munster, Indiana and graduated from Hammond High. She attended Valparaiso University for her freshman year before marriage. She was a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society for academic excellence. On June 26, 1959, she married Jack Edward Mott and lived near the University of Chicago where Jack was finishing his studies. Joan and Jack then moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where they had their first two children. They lived in Evanston, Illinois and Bloomington, Indiana. In 1974, they moved to Cupertino, California. Along the way, they also spent a year in Richland, Washington during the Mount Saint Helens volcanic eruption in 1980.

In 1981, Joan and Jack had a new baby daughter in California. They moved to Idaho Falls In 1986 to raise their daughter, and they made their home in Idaho Falls for 35 years. This was the happiest time of their lives. They loved their historic home. They enjoyed going to Yellowstone in the Spring and the Sawtooth Mountains in Summer and Fall.

Joan was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Idaho Falls and later Bethel Lutheran in Firth. She was a great student of history, studying the lives of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Martin Luther. She played piano all her life and particularly liked Bach and Beethoven. She enjoyed needlework and her quilts won awards. She collected dolls. She loved cooking. Her home was decorated in the manner of Colonial Williamsburg. She was in water ballet during high school and was a very graceful swimmer. Joan had an innate sense of what was beautiful and lasting in life. Joan is survived by her loving husband, Jack Mott of Idaho Falls, children Charles Mott, Carolyn (David) Ciampa and Melissa Mott; sisters Janice (Richard) Richwine, Jeanne (Winston) Yang and Julie (David) Veeck; grandchildren Catherine, John, Thomas, Claire, Francesca, Joseph, Phillip and Gerard. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Leslie Hansen Jr. Services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, November 6, 2021 at St. John Lutheran Church, with Pastor Stephen Weems officiating. Burial will be in Fielding Memorial Park.