On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, Joan Clausen Vander Vliet, of Carleton Willard Village in Bedford, MA, went home to God surrounded by her loving family.

Born in New Rochelle, NY on November 15, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Carolyn (Martin) Clausen. She attended the Northfield School for Girls and Centenary College where she graduated with an A.A. degree.

Ms. Vander Vliet held multiple professional positions including work in economic research for The Conference Board in New York City, staff member of the First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, CT, and an administrator at the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Mt. Hermon, MA.

She took early retirement to become a full-time volunteer. In 2010, she was awarded the Franklin County Citizen of the Year in recognition of her volunteer activities.

She previously resided in Stamford, CT, and Northfield, Greenfield, and South Deerfield, MA before relocating to Carleton Willard Village in Bedford, MA.

She leaves behind four children, Martha Perimian and her husband, Robert, of Stuart, FL; Beth Stahl and her husband, Peter, of Malvern, PA; Skerry Moir of Chelmsford, MA; and Amy Vander Vliet of Portland, OR, as well as her two grandchildren, Devon and Jordan Stahl. She was also the sister of the late Jane Clausen Drorbaugh, Marion Clausen Gray and Charles Robert Clausen.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to Northfield Mount Hermon School, 1 Lamplighter Way, Mt. Hermon, MA 01354 or to the Residents Reserve Fund at Carleton Willard Village, 100 Old Billerica Road, Bedford, MA 01730.

Post Script: The above obituary respects the wishes of our mom and is true to her trademark humble nature. However, we — her "four favorite daughters" — as she loved calling us — feel it would be remiss not to expound a bit to more adequately acknowledge the compassionate, devoted, and selfless human being we, and so many she connected with in her 94 years on earth, knew our mom to be. Her passion to leave all of her communities, both locally and globally, a better place was boundless, inspiring, empowering, and nothing less than remarkable.

Few causes escaped her attention and all benefited from her compassionate heart and altruistic nature. Her time, wisdom and creative energies were devoted to causes too numerous to mention but a sampling includes: hospice, the homeless, cultural institutions (Historic Deerfield and Music in Deerfield), women's issues (NGO Conference on Women in Beijing, China and the Massachusetts Woman's Home Missionary Union), education (Northfield Mount Hermon Board of Trustees and Alumni Association), healthcare (Baystate Franklin Medical Center), public radio, United Way, and, most pivotally, her faith (First Presbyterian Church of Stamford, CT; United Church of Christ, Greenfield, MA; and United Church of Christ Massachusetts Conference).

We know the void we are now experiencing in our lives is shared by many others but we find immense comfort that the legacy she leaves here on earth lives on.