Birth: March 1, 1947 Death: August 13, 2024 Joan Wilson Chamberlin, 77, of Berlin, passed into eternal life with Jesus Christ on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 after battling illness for many years. She was born on March 1, 1947 in Derby, Connecticut to the late Russell and Juliette (Billen) Wilson. Joan graduated from Old Saybrook High School, Class of ‘65.
She then earned an Associate’s Degree from Bryant College in 1967. Joan was the beloved wife of Donald M. Chamberlin for over 51 years.
Joan and Don built their house in Berlin in 1975 and have lived there ever since. Besides her husband, she is survived by their two children: daughter Laurie and her husband Matthew Berry and their daughters Caitlin and Jillian of West Chester, PA; and son Peter and his wife Alexa, and their daughters Renna and Julia of Higganum, CT. She is also survived by three brothers: Jerry Wilson, Kenneth Wilson, and Raymond Wilson and his wife Lisa; her sister Denise Cyrulik and her husband Anthony; niece Emily Hack; nephews Christopher Hack, Timothy Wilson, and James Wilson; and several cousins.
Her four granddaughters gave her much happiness and she cherished them always. Besides spending time with family, which was most important to her, she enjoyed gardening, sewing, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and board games. She also loved animals and was an avid reader.
Her volunteer pursuits included serving as a Sunday School teacher and Girl Scout leader, service to her church and her children’s schools, and many roles at the Repertory Theatre of New Britain, including board member, treasurer, box office manager, and stage manager. Most recently she served as President of the Berlin Children’s Fund. As for her professional life, she worked in medical, insurance, property management, and industrial manufacturing offices, always being home for her children as they were growing up.
Her family will always remember her special family dinners at Thanksgiving and Christmas, vacations together to Cape Cod, and camping trips to local and distant campgrounds including Yellowstone Park. She also leaves behind a group of wonderful friends of over 40 years. They shared playing cards for fun, dinners, and cruise voyages to ports near and far.
Friends and family would describe her as thoughtful, warmhearted, loving, empathetic, and generous in word and deed. Her pretty green eyes, beautiful smile, and tender hugs will be missed by all who knew her. She will always be in our hearts.
Relatives and friends may call on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 10:00 AM followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM at Erickson-Hansen Funeral Home of Berlin at 111 Chamberlain Highway in Berlin. Burial will be in Wilcox Cemetery, East Berlin. Memorial donations may be made to CT Foodshare (www.
ctfoodshare.org). Please share a memory of Joan with the family in the online guestbook at www.
ericksonhansenberlin.com Honor with Flowers In memory of Joan Plant a Living Memorial In memory of Joan.
