Joan Gooden Mayer

Joan Gooden Mayer, 75, of Hagerstown, MD, passed away Monday, November 5th, at Coffman Nursing Home, surrounded by her loving family. Born May 20, 1943, to the late Merrill Harvey and Mary Rose (Amoroso) Gooden, Joan spent her youth in Wilmington, Delaware with her sisters Delsie and Judy, and went on to graduate from the University of Delaware. Upon graduation, she served in the State Department and was assigned to the U.S. Embassy, Paris, France, during the Vietnam Peace Talks. It was there that she met Clark Alan Mayer, a Marine Embassy Guard. Joan, a self-proclaimed "sucker for a man in uniform", married Clark in 1969 (48 years until Clarks death on March 13, 2017) and spent several years at his familys ranch in South Dakota, where they had their only child, daughter Tanya. In the mid 70s, they made their permanent home in Hagerstown, where Joan built a very successful insurance firm. After a major stroke in 1996, Joan was forced to give up her company, but she never gave up on living a full life. Through all the adversity she faced, Joan always kept a rosy outlook and was more concerned about others than herself. She was such a kind, caring and thoughtful lady. She loved her three grandbabies "a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck", which she sang to them at every visit. She was a great role model and inspiration to them, and all. Joan is survived by her daughter, Tanya Mayer, son-in-law, Steve Lutz, and their daughters Dana, Kira, and Riley; sister Julia "Judy" Bolton and her husband Roger; as well as many loved nieces and nephews and lifelong friends. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her sister, Delsie E. Brookens. Funeral services will be conducted on Monday, November 12, 2018 at 1:00 P.M. at Rest Haven Funeral Home, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave., Hagerstown with Pastor Elizabeth Brookens-Sturman officiating. Interment will follow in Rest Haven Cemetery. Friends will be received at the funeral home on Sunday from 1-3 P.M. and on Monday one hour prior to the service. Contributions in her memory may be made to Coffman Nursing Home/Staff Appreciation, 1304 Pennsylvania Ave., Hagerstown, MD