A testament to the enduring friendships Joan Nordell developed as a long time supporter of the arts in the Boston area, she was surrounded by friends and colleagues during the last days of her life, including a distinguished artist, patrons of a classical music society, and a well known jazz musician serenading her with his saxophone. Joan Projansky Nordell passed away peacefully on October 2 at Newbury Court in Concord, MA where she resided for the past eight years. Her husband of 62 years, H. Roderick Nordell, died in 2017. She was born in Rochester, NY on November 23, 1927 to Henri and Bessie Projanksy. Joan was predeceased by her sister and brother-in-law, Sonia and Lew Johnson of Medina, WA. She cultivated many special friendships at Newbury Court, where she was known for her acts of kindness. Joan also opened her home of 50 years in Cambridge, MA to students from around the country and world, many of whom became devoted friends. She hosted first class jam sessions for jazz musicians in her house. Her husband played drums. After graduating from Radcliffe College, she spent much of her career in development, fundraising for the Harvard University libraries. She took a personal interest in rare books and created her own collection of livre d'artistes (book art). The walls of her apartment were covered with art collected over a lifetime, most of the purchases in support of new and up and coming artists. Joan also served on the board of numerous art and music institutions, including Emmanuel Music and the Boston Athenaeum. The Joan Nordell Fellowship Fund at Houghton Library was started in her honor and has already sponsored 47 scholars in a wide range of studies. Joan is survived by three children, Eric (married to Anne), John (married to Betsy) and Elizabeth (married to Rudy) along with four grandchildren, Ella, Meredith, Popo and Andrew. She went out of her way to support her children and grandchildren in the diverse endeavors they have pursued. The family of Joan Nordell is excited to announce that Emmanuel Music is dedicating a Bach cantata in her honor. Emmanuel Music was close to her heart, and she supported it in many ways, serving as president of the board for a number of years. The cantata will be performed as part of the 10:00 am Sunday service at Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Boston on October 9, 2022. Covid health safety permitting, we invite you to a reception in the Parish Hall after the service. Emmanuel Music will be providing a light-hearted musical tribute to Joan during the reception. For those of you unable to join us in person, the service and cantata will be live-streamed on the Emmanuel Church YouTube channel, where you can view it on Oct. 9. It will also be posted at this site for later viewing. Reflections of Joan can be found in the Newbury Court Memorial Book. Elizabeth presented these reflections during the All Campus Memorial Service on March 23. Emmanuel Music: https://www.emmanuelmusic.org/ Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Boston: https://www.emmanuelboston.org/ Emmanuel Church YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/EmmanChurch-Livestream Newbury Court Memorial Book: https://newburycourt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Memory-Book-March-2022.pdf All Campus Memorial Service: https://bit.ly/JNordell-Memorial-NC In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions in her memory to the Joan Nordell Fellowship Fund, checks payable to President & Fellows of Harvard College, include on the memo Joan Nordell Fellowship Fund #415-565479, ℅ Harvard University, PO Box 419209, Boston, MA 02241- call 617-998-5210 with questions/online donations; or to Emmanuel Music, with JN Musicians' Relief Fund in the memo, 15 Newbury Street, Boston, MA, 02116, call 617-536-3356 with questions/online donations. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.