Joan Stevens

Joan Stevens, 94, of Harwich, MA, beloved mother, grandmother, and classical soprano, passed away peacefully on March 24, 2025.

Joan was born February 9, 1931, in the steel town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In this industrial setting, she managed to find a deep love of music, animals, and nature that she nurtured her entire life.
By 16, she was a church soloist. At 19, she was named Pennsylvania's “Most Promising Singer of the Year” and went on to study voice in New York City and at Boston University.\

After marriage and the birth of her daughter, she settled in Natick, MA. She continued singing in churches and synagogues, becoming a student of many religions and a self-described “Ecumaniac.” She also excelled as an executive secretary, notably for Rabbi Harold Kushner, the acclaimed author of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”

Joan moved to Cape Cod in the late 1970s and continued her musical career. She was an early executive director of the Cape and Islands Chamber Music Festival, performed in musical theater and in many programs with other accomplished musicians, and was a longtime soloist at First Congregational Parish in Truro. Joan founded the Truro Twilight Concert Series and Concerts at the Crossroads in Orleans, and created shows based on the lives of poet Emily Dickinson and pioneering woman composer Amy Beach.

Later, Joan retired to help care for her grandsons and started a pet sitting business, where she made many cherished friends - canine, feline, and human. In 2012, she met the love of her life, Roger Morey. They shared wonderful times until Roger’s passing in 2017. The Morey Clan welcomed her as their own, which meant the world to her for the rest of her life. She loved being “Great Joan” to Roger’s great grandchildren.

Joan lived her final years happily in the company of friends and family, remaining active and independent until the end, always with a song to sing and a story to tell.

She leaves her daughter, Lorelei Stevens-Strome, son-in-law Richard Morey, grandsons Andrew Strome of Harwich and Jeffrey Strome of Richmond, VA, and Roger’s daughters Pam Sherrill (Mike) and Beth Morey.

The family would like to thank Joan’s partner-in-fun, Karen Peterson, Hilary Kline and her Meals on Wheels drivers, and Nauset Neighbors volunteers, all of whom made it possible for Joan to live independently for so long, and the compassionate caregivers at Cape Cod Post Acute Care.

A memorial service will be held on April 8 at 10 am at Harwich United Methodist Church, 1 Church St., Harwich, MA 02645, with a reception to follow at the church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Joan’s memory to the church, Nauset Neighbors, PO Box 1716, Orleans, MA 02653, or any animal rescue organization.