Obituary of Joan Linda Beck
Joan Linda (Glusker) Beck of Ellenville, N.Y. died peacefully at home with her family on July 21, 2018 after a 28-year hard fought battle with breast cancer. She was 78 years old.
Joan was born on April 8, 1940 in Brooklyn, N.Y. and was an Ellenville resident for most of her life, graduating from Ellenville High School in 1958 and teaching at the Ellenville Central School District for over 20 years. Lovingly known as the “camera lady,” both before and after her retirement, she could be found at almost every school and community event taking pictures for the school yearbook and theater productions or for publicity for local businesses and organizations. Every child that crossed paths with Joan became another one of her “kids”; it was that commitment to the Ellenville Central School District and its students which led her to be honored with a Distinguished Friend of Education Award from the Ulster County School Boards Association on May 24, 2018. Joan’s tireless community and volunteer efforts led to her being named Noonday Club’s Citizen of the Year in 1981. Over the years, she was active in many local organizations including the America Field Services (AFS) Student Exchange program, the Shadowland Theatre and the Ellenville Central School District Parent Teacher’s Organization and she continued to be active in the Wawarsing Historical Society & Knife Museum, the Kiwanis Club, the Key Club, the Retired Teachers Association and the Ellenville-Wawarsing Alumni Association until the time of her death.
Joan was the daughter of the late Eugene and Pearl Glusker. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Kenneth Beck; her children, Michael (Laura) Beck, Mark (Wendy) Beck and Melissa (Aaron) Mitchum; her granddaughter, Emily Beck; her step-grandchildren, Stosh and Matthew Lupinski; her brother, Stephen (Marjorie) Glusker; her nephew, Daniel (Bethany) Glusker; her niece, Dorothy (Philip) Horowitz; cousins, great-nieces and nephews; and many close friends she considered family. She was predeceased by her grandson, Ethan Beck.
A funeral service will be held on Monday, July 23, 2018 at 10:00am at the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home/Congregation Anshe Tzadyik, 186 Canal Street, Ellenville, NY 12428 with Rabbi Moshe Frank officiating. Burial will immediately follow at King Solomon Memorial Park, 550 Dwasline Rd, Clifton, NJ 07012. The family will be sitting shiva at the Elias Family home at Elias Acres in Ellenville, N.Y. on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 24 and 25, from 12-8 p.m.
To honor Joan’s memory and lifetime of service to the Ellenville Central School District and community, the family will be establishing a scholarship in her name. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the scholarship fund can be sent to: Kenneth Beck, P.O. Box 431, Ellenville, N.Y. 12428.
Funeral arrangements by Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home- Ellenville; for directions or to leave the family a condolence message please visit our website at www.josephngarlickfuneralhome.com.
