Joan Froman, formerly of Ogden Dunes, IN, was born in Orofino, Idaho, and passed away on March 21, 2026, at age 92, seven months after her husband Chuck Froman. They were married for 69 years and had 5 children together.
Joan spent her youth in the towns and forests of the Northwest. Her father Jesse worked for the U.S. Forestry Service and the Department of the Interior, and her mother Leone was an elementary school teacher. She had two younger sisters, Alene and Jackie.
Joan was known for her kindness, her fun-loving nature and her love and knowledge of the natural world. She was a good artist and continued to be artistic in many ways throughout her life. In her childhood she had a passion for horses and competed in the Hunter-Jumper category with her ride share horse Brownie. She also spent many weekends skiing at the Timberline Ski Area in Oregon and worked at the Government Center Lodge to defray the cost of lift tickets on the mountain.
In 1951, after graduating from Grant High School in Portland, Oregon, Joan started classes for a Business Degree at the University of Oregon. During her college years, Joan’s parents moved from Portland, Oregon, to Juneau, Alaska, where her father was promoted to the head of The U.S. Department of Interior, for the Territory of Alaska (Alaska didn’t become a state until 1959).
When Joan finished her college degree, she decided to join her parents in Alaska, where she took an office job with the U.S. Health Service in Juneau. She had just started interviewing for a potential job with the C.I.A., when she met her future husband Chuck at the U.S. Health Service’s office Christmas party. Within weeks, Chuck proposed to her, and they were married a few months later in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Joan was fortunate to find a man who loved the outdoors as much as she did. She was game for the honeymoon Chuck planned: camping and canoeing in Michigan’s North Boundary Waters.
During Joan and Chuck’s first year of married life, they moved to Midland, Michigan, where they lived for 14 years, and there, Joan and Chuck had five children born in rapid succession over a 6-year period. Joan and Chuck introduced their children at early ages to all the things they loved - swimming, snow skiing, fishing, and camping. Joan also loved to read and sing and knew many poems and songs by heart. She shared her love of literature and music with her children, including funny old camp songs and serial books that she had read as a child.
At the house in Midland, Joan created beautiful flower gardens, and she and Chuck cultivated a big vegetable garden, berry patches and fruit trees. They became active in Midland’s Scuba Diving Club and joined the Presbyterian Church where they made life-long friends in the Young Couples Club. Joan continued to paint and sculpt at an art studio nearby until she became too busy with her children’s activities and volunteer positions.
The Midland years were filled with camping trips, visits with Chuck’s parents at their home on Lake Cadillac and later in Florida, and skiing trips to Caberfae and other nearby ski areas. Their house was not only filled with children and their friends but also a menagerie of pets and animal rescues that included: dogs, cats, guinea pigs, mice, birds, squirrels, a horned toad, and snakes.
In 1970, when Chuck got a new engineering management job in Gary, Indiana, the Froman family moved to Ogden Dunes, Indiana, where they became very involved in their new beach community on Lake Michigan.
Joan was a busy mom attending to her five growing children. She and Chuck took up bird watching and continued to enjoy golfing, camping with the family and skiing in Michigan. The family bought a cottage on the Pine River in the Cadillac area to enjoy winter skiing and summer days in the woods. Joan could tell you the names of most of the plants in the forest, and recognize birds by their songs. Joan and Chuck enjoyed years of foraging for wild mushrooms, asparagus and apples.
Joan was always trying to find ways to better her community in big and small ways and took on a number of paid and volunteer positions. She became the Town Clerk, served on the board of Planned Parenthood of Northwest Indiana, was a girl scout leader, and helped plan the town’s recreational programs and celebrations.
When her oldest children headed off to college, Joan founded the Sandpiper Cooperative Nursery School at the Ogden Dunes Community Church and taught there for many years. Her 3- and 4-year-old students who are in their 40’s and 50’s today have very fond memories of their nursery school teacher, Mrs. Froman. The nursery school is still operating today.
Joan and Chuck resided in Ogden Dunes for 27 years enjoying the nature and beauty of the Lake Michigan Shoreline.
When it was time to retire, they sold their Ogden Dunes home and split their time between a condo on Charlotte Harbor in El Jobean, Florida, and their Michigan cottage.
Joan became an enthusiastic beachcomber at their Florida winter home and soon knew all the best beach spots to collect her many shells and driftwood for her wreaths and crafts. Joan and Chuck continued to enjoy golf and bridge with friends and became active in their local Audubon group. They participated in many annual Christmas bird counts. Joan cared deeply about the environment and was an early and enthusiastic recycler. She couldn’t abide to see litter in wild or tame places; she always carried a bag with her on any walk or hike to pick up the litter that marred the landscape.
Her children and grandchildren looked forward to visits to Florida and Michigan where Joan would get everyone out in the woods to look for mushrooms, birds, animals, and insects. She cherished being a grandmother and would disappear outside with the grandchildren to discover all kinds of marvels at a snail’s pace. Joan held a deep wonder for the natural world and could make that world magical for others.
Joan shared her thankfulness for her abundant life with friends and family and continued to grow her circle of friends until her final days.
Joan is survived and missed deeply by her loving children: Chuck (Jo Ann) Froman, Gayle (David) Froman, Elise (Thom) Skora, Aleta (John) Froman-Goodrich, and Tom (Jeni) Froman; grandchildren: Anna (Janelle) Littlehale, Hilary (Nick) Froman, Hallah Skora, Sam Littlehale, Elias Skora, Olivia (Dave) Pusinski, and Hannah (Liz) Froman; 5 great-grandchildren; and numerous extended family and friends. She is preceded in death by her husband, Chuck, her parents, Leone and Jesse, and grandson Zachary.
A celebration of Joan’s life will be held privately by family. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the National Audubon Society.
