“Joan grew up in Chestnut Hill and would fondly recall evenings spent singing around the piano. She attended Beaver Country Day School, where she was All-Boston in field hockey and tennis, and then Bennington College in Bennington, Vt. While at Bennington, she developed her lifelong love of arts education, even spending one winter term on a Navajo Reservation in Arizona teaching in a one-room schoolhouse. After college, she returned to Boston and earned a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Education.

“In August 1953, she married her husband Jim and followed him from New York City to Boston to Washington, D.C., and then to Richmond as he completed his medical education and training. Along the way, she raised her family of four children as they made Richmond their permanent home. The family made frequent trips to South Hill Farm in New Hampshire so as not to forget Joan’s New England roots, to Harbor Beach, Mich., along the shores of Lake Huron, where the family still gathers, and in later years to the Greenbrier, where Jim and Joan had built a home.

“When her children were older, Joan returned to teaching, first at The Collegiate School, where she taught lower school music and became a member of the Board of Trustees. Later, she taught with Bob and Glad Fleming at VCU; together they initiated a summer teaching program for teachers in the Richmond area to help them in their development as teachers, all the while stressing the legitimacy and crucial importance of arts education.

“After VCU and as a board member of the Arts Council of Richmond, Joan helped found the Partners in the Arts program and, armed with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, she reestablished the Summer Institute to assist teachers in the Richmond area to integrate visual and performing arts into the school curriculum. The Summer Institute survives to this day as the Joan Oates Institute for Partners in the Arts at the University of Richmond and its programs, including the Summer Institute, have reached thousands of teachers and students with its message of creativity, movement and the crucial importance of arts education.

“Modest to a fault, Joan was nevertheless recognized frequently for her accomplishments in arts education and contributions to the Richmond arts community. She was a Life Trustee at Collegiate and in 2007 was named as one of the YWCA of Richmond’s Outstanding Women. Joan and Jim were active in arts philanthropy, assisting with the planning and development of the Hershey Center for the Arts and the Oates Theatre at Collegiate and establishing the Oates Endowment for the Arts. After Jim’s death, Joan established two more arts-related endowments at Collegiate.

“Joan leaves behind a meaningful legacy for her children and grandchildren. She was a wonderful role model, stressing the important values of education, especially in the arts. She had a single-minded purpose to her life and was successful because of a dedication to helping others through teaching. Her grace, humor, humility and love for family are values that will endure, FOREVER AND A DAY.

“A service in remembrance of Joan’s life and spirit will be held at a later date. It is safe to assume that the service will include some singing around a piano. The family especially wants to thank the doctors and staff at Cedarfield for their compassion and excellent care.

“Donations can be made to The Endowment for Creative and Innovative Teaching c/o The Collegiate School or to the Joan Oates Institute for the Partners in the Arts c/o The University of Richmond.”