Joan Alaine Thom

Joan Alaine Thom of Bowman, ND and Rancho Mirage, CA passed away at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage on May 16, 2019. She was 89 years old.

Joan was born on May 2, 1930, in Albany, NY to Maynard and Ada (Whetmath Rosboro) Booth. She graduated from Mount Royal High School in Montreal and received her Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University in Nova Scotia and a Bachelor of Library Science from McGill University in Montreal. While working in the medical library at McGill she met Dr. Robert Thom. They married in 1955, moving to Regina, Saskatchewan and Neepawa, Manitoba before settling in Bowman, ND, their much loved hometown of 62 years.

Joan was fascinated by the world around her and traveled to see it from an early age. In their early teens, she and her sister biked from Montreal down through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and shortly after graduating from university she embarked with a friend on a steamer cargo ship to Europe, the Mediterranean, and Egypt. Travel was a constant during her marriage to Bob; they traveled throughout Canada, Europe, and Mexico with family as well as with friends from North Dakota and California. This past fall, Joan cruised the Pacific Rim for 85 days with long-time California friend, Gene Weaver, taking in parts of Russia, China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, and Australia before returning to Rancho Mirage in December. She was interested in everything she saw and everyone she met, no matter who they were or what their role in life.

A gifted organist, pianist and conductor, Joan started the still thriving Bowman Community Chorus upon arrival in her new home. She taught piano, eventually teaching a full-time studio at home, taking only Wednesday afternoons off for her weekly bridge group. For decades she provided the organ music for the Bowman United Methodist Church. As a piano teacher and mentor she encouraged countless young people, many of whom pursued further studies in piano and voice.

In 1990 Joan and Bob purchased a home in Rancho Mirage Country Club and began to split their time between Rancho Mirage and Bowman. Joan quickly saw a need for book-sharing amongst the homeowners and started a library for the association that is still in operation. She loved to entertain, and she threw memorable bridge gatherings and parties for friends at the country club. She loved the desert in all seasons, and after hiking with her son and daughter-in-law in Colorado she began to organize desert outings for her friends in California, taking them on exploratory hikes throughout the Coachella Valley.

Joan adored her grandsons, Caelan and Bryce, visiting Boulder, CO, and points across the globe in order to follow their personal and athletic events. Over the past 15 years she attended baseball games and swim meets, and walked triathlon routes to see them compete and to cheer them on.

Joan and Bob served for many years as ushers at the Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church, where they were associate members. They were also lifelong members of the Bowman United Methodist Church.

Joan is survived by her children Patty Thom of Boston, MA, Brian (Julene) Thom of Louisville, CO, and Carol (Mohi Khairandish) Thom of Los Angeles, CA; two grandsons, Bryce and Caelan Thom; her sister Barbara Mallory; sister-in-law Maria Booth; caregiver and friend Marlene Osuna; and well-loved nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Bob who passed away in February 2018, her parents Maynard and Ada, as well as her stepmother Leila Booth, and her brother Rodney.

A memorial service for Joan will be held in Cathedral City at the Forest Lawn Cemetery's Ramon Chapel at 3:00pm on Thursday, May 23, 2019. A scholarship has been established in her name at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Gifts can be sent to Boston Conservatory at Berklee, 1140 Boylston Street, MS-161 IA, Boston, MA 02215 with a note "in memory of Joan Thom".