Joan Elise Rechtin

Lincoln Paradise Valley - Joan Elise Rechtin Lincoln passed away peacefully at home on March 7, 2016 after a long illness. She was born on September 3, 1927 in Orange, New Jersey to parents Ida and Eberhardt Rechtin. Her father was in management for the shipbuilding division of Bethlehem Steel Company, so shortly after her birth the family, including older brother Eberhardt, moved to Colombia, South America. She always said that Spanish was her first language. The family eventually settled in Southern California, where Joan attended Redondo Union High School and then went to Scripps College in Claremont, California. At Scripps she nurtured her lifelong passion for ceramics, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Art History) in 1949. Weekends at Scripps were spent with family and friends, often enjoying ball room dancing. She was introduced to one of her dance partners, David C. Lincoln by her brother. Upon graduating, she moved to Beaumont Texas, where her father had been transferred to run Bethlehem's Beaumont shipyard. She taught elementary classes in the public school in Beaumont, until, as she would tell the story, David Lincoln called during dinner one evening and asked her to marry him. Clearly, she agreed! They were married in Long Island, N.Y., on July 29, 1950, and moved to Hicksville, N.Y., where David was working for the Sperry Gyroscope Company. Joan and David had four children, Virginia Louise, Kathryn Jo, Carl Richard, born in New York, and James Robert, born in Ohio. Once the family moved to Cleveland, Joan was active writing and presenting speeches for the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. Quite often, she would bundle up the four children and they would occupy themselves in the back of a Hall while she gave a talk on Cuba, Soviet Russia or Africa. She was also active in the Girl Scouts in Cleveland, and served as the energetic troop leader for the several years of her daughters' involvement. The family moved west to Arizona in 1965 and settled in Paradise Valley. As her children grew older, she continued to pursue her artistic nature, enrolling in the MFA program at Arizona State University, graduating with her Masters of Fine Arts, (Ceramics) in 1973. She was awarded many substantial ceramic and sculptural commissions, including the fish fountain at Paradise Valley Town Hall. She combined her organizational aptitude with her love of the arts in her long time engagement with the National Society of Arts and Letters, eventually becoming a member of the National Board. And for more than a quarter century she read for Arizona Talking Books Library, logging nearly 40 books and a variety of newspapers and pamphlets. Another long time passion was the work that she did with The Town of Paradise Valley. She was a member of the Town Council for ten years, eventually serving as both Vice Mayor and Mayor of the Town. While serving on Council, the then Mayor appointed her to the Hillside Building Committee, where she served as the Council representative while on Council and for many years after her Council tenure. Under her leadership while Mayor, the Town was one of the first in the nation to implement the use of traffic cameras to control speeding and red light running. For many years the family has spent all or part of the summer at Chautauqua Institution in western New York, where Joan was an avid participant in the ceramics program. She will be remembered as a great teacher and mentor to many of the young artists who worked alongside her in the studio. With husband David, she shared a vision that ethical behavior and interfaith cooperation would solve many of the world's greatest dilemmas. With others, they created Claremont Lincoln University, an accredited school bringing together students of all faiths to help transform the world around them. Joan is survived by husband, David; their four children, six grandchildren and twelve nieces and nephews. There will be a memorial service celebrating her life on Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow, at Paradise Valley Methodist Church, 4455 E. Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley, Arizona 85253. Hansen Mortuary is handling the arrangements. Visit hansenmortuary.com for condolences. In lieu of flowers, the family would suggest consideration of a gift in her honor be made to one of the following charities: Joan R. Lincoln Ceramics Fund, Chautauqua Foundation, P. O. Box 28, Chautauqua, NY 14722; Scripps College, Attn: David Carpenter, Joan and David Lincoln Ceramics Building, 1030 Columbia Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711-3905; Joan R. Lincoln Endowed Professorship in Ceramics at ASU, c/o Kristin Irwin, P.O. Box 2260, Tempe, AZ 85280.