Joan Claire Striefling Crespi, 91, of Blue Bell PA passed away peacefully on April 27 after several years of declining health.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Joan received her BA in English from the University of Michigan where she won multiple Hopwood awards for Drama and Poetry.  After receiving her MA from Stanford University, she moved to New York City where she worked as a copy editor at Esquire magazine for several years. Joan was introduced to her future husband Irving by a mutual friend in the spring of 1968 and moved to Princeton when they married that August. Joan resided in Princeton until 2009 when she moved to a retirement community closer to her daughter in Pennsylvania.

Joan always said that getting married and having children was the best thing she'd ever done. She dedicated herself to raising her children and was very proud of their accomplishments. Joan loved learning and was always reading or writing.  She wrote several plays and spent countless hours reading the New York Times and clipping articles that she could incorporate into writing ideas so that her work would remain relevant in an ever-changing world. She also traveled extensively both nationally and internationally. As her children grew older, she returned to her roots as a writer, writing for several local publications including the Princeton Packet and U.S.1, where, among other articles, she wrote numerous reviews of local theater productions.

In her later years she was a loving grandmother to her six grandchildren and enjoyed traveling and celebrating holidays with her family.

Predeceased by her husband Irving, Joan is survived by her son Robert and his children Ian and Rebecca of Hoboken NJ, and her daughter Judy, son-in-law Charles, and their children Joseph, Abigail, Jessica, and Zachary of Skippack PA.

Graveside services were held in Princeton Cemetery, Princeton NJ

In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions to the Anti-Defamation League. (adl.org)