TORRINGTON – Joan Marie Anderson was born on the family farm in the Huntley community on May 17, 1937. She was joined by sisters Judith (Semple), Margaret (Brown), and Susan (Jacobson) over the next ten years, but Joan was always our leader. Parents Ruth (Nichols) and Everett Anderson encouraged the girls as they participated in school activities, 4-H projects, music lessons and performances and church groups. Family gatherings usually resulted in basketball or softball games, organized by Joan and included the cousins.
She attended Huntley schools and graduated from Huntley High School, then enrolled in the University of Wyoming. She was the only female in the UW College of Pharmacy class of ‘59; then went on to become a Fulbright Scholar, studying at the Pharmacology Institute at the University of Olo in Norway from 1959 to 1960. She also completed on of the first accredited pharmacy practice residencies at Jefferson Medical College Hospital while also earning a Master’s degree in Pharmacy from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (1964), Later, she earned a Master’s degree in Education from Temple University College of Education (1978).
Joan practiced acute care pharmacy and served in administrative positions at Memorial Hospital of Laramie County (now Cheyenne Regional Medical Center) in Cheyenne, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, and West Nebraska General Hospital (now Regional West Medical Center) Scottsbluff. She was on the faculty at Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science from 1981 to 2004, serving in leadership roles as Vice-chair, Interim Chair, and Assistant Dean. After retiring, she moved to Torrington to care for her mother. She joined the faculty of UW School of Pharmacy as the Continuing Education Coordinator.
Everywhere she lived, Joan was involved in the community. She traveled regularly to visit friends in many countries. She was active in, and held leadership positions in state, regional, national, and international pharmacy organizations. She was a member of Phi Kappa Phi National Scholastic Honor Society, the Rho Chi National Pharmacy Honor Society, and the Fulbright Alumni Association. She was named the 2022 Outstanding Alumna for UW School of Pharmacy, honoring her many contributions to the education of future pharmacists.
Joan moved to Cheyenne and continued her many activities. She is a member of Chapter BA, P.E.O., a member of Cheyenne League of Women Voters, First Presbyterian Church, volunteered at the public library, and enthusiastically supported the Cheyenne Organ Concert group as well as the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra.
Joan died at her home in Cheyenne after a short illness. She was predeceased by her parents, sister Susan, and brothers-in-law Donald Jacobson and William Semple. She is mourned by her sister Judith Semple, sister and brother-in-law Margaret and Kermit Brown, Uncle Clark Nichols, and nieces and nephews, her Nichols and Anderson cousins, great nieces and nephews, and many friends. In light of Joan’s varied interests, please honor her as you wish with the organization where you are connected.
A Celebration of Life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Cheyenne, on Monday, May 19th at 2 p.m. a reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. Graveside service will be held at the Torrington Cemetery on Tuesday, May 20, at 2 p.m. Reception will follow at the Presbyterian Church.
