Joan Lassiter Lucille Moormans

Joan Lucille Lassiter Moormans passed away unexpectedly in her home in her sleep on Friday morning, October 30, 2015. God graciously granted her desire to leave this life peacefully and without suffering. She was 81 and had been in the care of her son, Mark, and her daughter-in-law Andrea since 2008. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, their children Cosette, Tess, and Joy, and her daughter and son-in-law, Nicole and Brad Silvernail, and their two children, Irene and Audrey. Joan was an incredibly sacrificial and strong-willed woman. She was creative, and beautiful, and smart. She was widowed with two young children only nine years into her marriage and never re-married. Although I never thought of her this way, my mom remained a single mom for the rest of her life. Instead of going out and pursuing what so many other women did, she pursued what she believed was best for her children. She used her abilities and strengths to stay home. She managed, somehow, to keep us in one home without moving for our entire childhood until we went off to college. She worked one job and stuck with it. She worked her way up from secretary to vice president of sales for Delft Gelatin, a Dutch importing company, and supported her family for 34 years this way until she retired. Joan was a gifted artist, deeply creative, and loved beauty. She taught her son how to paint and her daughter how to cook. She filled our yard with tulips, roses, and pansies, and hand weeded and tilled part of a nearby field to grow vegetables for our table. She loved to host dinner parties and was an incredible chef and baker. Christmastime was always filled with an array of homemade treats and cookies and our home was filled with the aromas of her culinary delights. She couldn’t wrap a gift without somehow making it a mysterious and creative masterpiece for whoever was opening it. Mom was beautiful. When her heart was full, it lit up her entire life. It showed on her face and in her countenance. I miss hearing her laugh. She had such a wonderful laugh. Some of my best memories are of the times that we laughed together as a family. She was also generous to a fault. Mom always gave, even when she didn’t have it to give. It was her joy to give. Growing up we were always spoiled on birthdays and holidays. Her generosity spilled over into everything she put her heart into. After she was baptized, she poured herself into her local church, taking notes for the deaf, installing a hotline in our home for those in trouble, and taking in boarders who needed a place to stay. Joan was very intelligent, and so wanted her children to have the opportunities she didn’t have. She gave us so many diverse experiences growing up, trying to help us find our way, and figure out our talents and who we were created to be, so that we could develop them and not waste them. She lived vicariously through us, which sometimes strained our relationships, but she genuinely wanted us to have what she never had. I am most grateful for what she gave me, and this is the legacy I will remember. She gave me a love of books, and of stories. And she introduced me at a very young age to the God who made me. Mom had an abiding faith, and she taught me that God was real and deeply personal, a lesson which has persisted and defined most of my life. She will be missed dearly. Services will be private. Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so by visiting www.farrisfuneralservice.com and signing the online guest register. The Moormans family is being cared for by Farris Funeral Service & Crematory, 19415 Lee Highway, Abingdon, VA 24210, (276) 623-2700.