Joan Wells

Joan Sparrell Wells, age 91, of Denver, Colorado, died peacefully on September 28, 2021.  She was the daughter of Sarah and Lester Sparrell and had one brother and three sisters.  She attended Mamaroneck High School in NY and went on to graduate with a degree in Mathematics from Bucknell University in PA.  Joan was then recruited by Bailey Meter Company in Cleveland, OH.  New to the city and knowing only a few people there, she decided to join the Manse Group of the First Presbyterian Church of Cleveland.  There she found a home.  The group met weekly, discussed scripture, shared fellowship and traveled to the Maine farmhouse owned by the Reverend Howard & Beatrice Wells.  The warmth and love that she felt towards this Wells couple soon turned to their youngest son, Bradford, who was recently back from the Foreign Service in Africa and attending Harvard Law School.

Joan surprised Brad by following him to Boston as he began his first year at Harvard Law.  Their relationship blossomed and soon after they were married on September 8, 1956, at the home of Joan’s parents in Larchmont NY.  In Boston Joan worked to help put her husband through school as a trainer at IBM International.  Later she would often speak of working with computers as big as a room.  This early success at teaching became a lifetime calling.

The couple moved to Denver for work and both loved the mountains and the relaxed pace of the West.  While raising her 4 young children, Joan joined the volunteer TAPS program tutoring underprivileged school-aged students.  Her next stop was South High School where she was hired as a math tutor working to help students pass their final high school exams.  She admired the resilience of the teenagers, many of them immigrants, whom she helped.  Her former students to this day remark what a source of strong support she was to them.  The last years of her career were with the Career Education Center for Denver Public Schools.

Joan’s interests were many.  The Wells family took all 4 young children up skiing, hiking, camping, and even climbed some 14ers.  In October of 1972, Joan and Brad took the children out of school and to Europe for the month.  This was inspired by Joan’s month-long adventure biking through Europe as a young woman.  The children have fond memories and many entertaining stories of that trip.  Joan and Brad would continue to travel throughout their lives.  Joan also enjoyed bridge, tennis, golf, French food, Shakespeare, and going to the theatre.  She and Brad were regulars at the Colorado Symphony and the Aspen Music Festival.

Joan had a close network of friends formed through Montview Presbyterian Church and Wellshire Presbyterian Church.  These friends knew each other for over 60 years, studied books together and traveled together.  As a young mother, she formed especially tight bonds with her women friends in the group they dubbed the "Harried Housewives."  The same group morphed into a travel group during the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s.  The list of destinations included Russia, China, Turkey, England, Italy, Greece, Costa Rica, Peru and Scotland.  At age 60, she inspired her women friends that “weren’t ready for the rocking chairs” to trek in the Annapurna Valley of Nepal.  This same group of friends helped ease her move to her last place of residence, Clermont Retirement Community.  There, she continued to enjoy church, bridge, good conversations, and singing in the Show Stoppers choir.

Above all else, Joan adored her family.  She regularly helped care for grandchildren in their formative years.  The extended family traveled together, well into her later years.  In photos of times past, Joan had her biggest smile when surrounded by her husband, children, and grandchildren.

She is survived by her four children: Brad (Heidi) Wells, Peter (Julie Gordon) Wells, Sarah (James Frey) Wells and Marti (Scott) Lifschin; her six grandchildren: Dylan, Hannah, Evan, Henry, Zack, and Lydia; her sisters: Elizabeth O’Connor and Sally Lou Sparrell; and a group of dedicated and loving nieces and nephews.  Preceded in death by her husband, Bradford Wells in 2007, sister, Casey Shook, brother, John Sparrell, nephew, Howard Meyers Wells, III, and her parents.

Special thanks to Bristol Hospice.

Services will be at Wellshire Presbyterian Church, 2999 S.  Colorado Blvd, Denver, on October 28th at 3:00 PM.  The public is welcome.  In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting the South High Newcomers Fund.  This fund will specifically support newly arrived immigrant high school students at South.  Donations can be sent care of M.  Lifschin, 90 Upper Rainbow Trail, Denville, NJ, 07834 or with Venmo to @Marti-Lifschin.

Please leave a comment as condolence for Joan's family on her Tribute Wall above.