Joan Marie Blasko

Blasko—Joan Marie Blasko, 87, on April 22, 2024, at Foxdale Village, a Quaker retirement community in State College, Pa. Joan was born on August 16, 1936, to John and Georgianna Lehman in Lancaster, Pa., one of five children. She received her bachelor’s degree and master of fine arts degree from The Pennsylvania State University, and was awarded a fellowship at MacDowell, an artist’s residency program in Peterborough, N.H. Joan’s work was exhibited locally and nationally.

Joan was an active member of the art community in central Pennsylvania. She enjoyed teaching art to people of all ages. She taught undergraduate classes at Penn State while she raised her six children. Joan led many workshops and classes, including at the Strawberry Hill Dance Camp and at Foxdale Village.

Joan had a passion to learn and had an extensive art book collection. She enjoyed time with her art books up until one week prior to her passing. She loved to read The New York Times to keep abreast of the ever-changing landscape of the art world.

Joan loved to travel when she could. She took many trips throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. She kept journals, which captured many of her thoughts and ideas that informed her art.

Joan found a home in State College (Pa.) Meeting, joining in 1992. Her faith was important to her. She especially resonated with the tenet of simplicity and strived to live her life in that way. She was active on the Literature and Program Committees, and in the Quaker Arts Interest Group that explored art through queries. Joan became involved in the Quaker Tapestry project through the meeting, which led her to begin rug hooking, a craft that became her passion during the past 20 years. She initially worked with shared traditional designs and quickly shifted to creating her own designs. Several of her rugs are hung in the halls of Foxdale Village.

Joan was a founding member of the Bellefonte Historical Society in Bellefonte, Pa., where she worked on the revitalization of historical sites and buildings, including the town’s Talleyrand Park and the Gamble Mill, a historic gristmill located along Spring Creek in Bellefonte.

Joan was predeceased by a sister, Mary Ann Lindsey, in 2020.

She is survived by six children, John P. Blasko, Kelly A. Blasko, Jennifer L. Blasko, Mary E. Blasko, Joseph C. Blasko, and Benjamin D. Blasko; eight grandchildren; and three siblings, Georgia Humphrey, John Lehman, and Joseph Lehman.