Joan C. Waller

The world is a little less colorful since we lost Joan C. Waller, MD, 86, on May 26, 2026, of Kennett Square, PA; loving mother of Ellen Forman (Philip Katz); adored stepmother of Tracy Kraus (Morey), Jessica Wallraff Kelton (Kevin) and Jamie Funt; devoted sister of Edward M. Waller, Jr. (Laura); cherished grandmother of Alison Forman-Katz, Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Kraus (Deepthi Jacob), Ezra Kraus (Tati Frean), Benicio Wallraff, Neve Funt, Talia Funt and Arlo Funt; proud great-grandmother of Olivia and Ellie.

 Joan was the ring-leader of the kids in her West Memphis, Arkansas neighborhood, and proudly recounted tales of exploits like painting swear words on the roof of a neighbor’s barn. She idolized her father Edward Waller Sr who was a local businessman (he owned a dry goods store), and politician. In high school she was on her way to take a test as part of the application for the National Merit Scholarship program when she and her father discovered the bridge over the Mississippi river between West Memphis and Memphis, Tennessee was closed. They asked the police to let them through and they wouldn’t, so her father approached a waiting empty ambulance and begged them to let her ride – so they tried again with sirens blazing. They still didn’t get through. Finally they ran across the bridge. She made it to the test on time – and won the scholarship. 

At the University of Chicago she met Jack D. Forman and they married while she was still a student. They lived in Chicago until Jack decided he wanted to attend medical school, and Edward Sr. used his connection to the dean of the University of Tennessee Medical school to help his son-in-law get in. While back in Memphis, Joan worked as a secretary to put Jack through medical school. As he studied, over time she began to think, “I could do that” and then “I WANT to do that.” Women were just starting to study medicine in numbers at the time, but she had a child. After being told by the same dean who had accepted Jack that she “should be home with her daughter” they moved to Philadelphia so that she could attend what was then the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. 

She and Jack separated around the time she received her MD. After internship and residency in Internal Medicine she completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases and set up a private practice with her partner Meg Hessen, MD. She became director of Infection Control at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, from where she eventually retired as Vice President of Medical Affairs. She cared deeply about her patients and their families. As an infectious disease specialist, she worked through the AIDS epidemic, and even in early days worked to educate staff and loved-ones that it was safe to visit and touch patients and to ensure all were treated with dignity and respect. 

She married Ronald Funt in 1980 and welcomed his children into the family where the word “step” wasn’t used, it was just family. 

She was passionate about what was then called “women’s liberation”, civil rights, and supporting liberal politics and causes. At 4’ 11” and less than 100 pounds, she has been described as small but mighty. She loved the tongue-in-cheek nickname bestowed on her by Ellen’s friend Leslie: Dr. J (the moniker of Julius Erving, the Philly 76ers star at the time). She was known for her wicked sense of humor, and love of puns and word play. When she was a younger woman she could be heard shouting “balderdash” instead of stronger words, but eventually graduated to swearing like a sailor. She also loved classical music, especially opera, theater, ballet, books and Icelandic horses. Her Icelandic, Moldi, may have been her one true love. Some of her closest friends were also formed at the barn and she made several trips with those friends on horseback riding trips to Utah and Montana (?) and a pilgrimage to Iceland to see the horses, work with renowned trainers and convince her best friend Millie, that, yes, she should buy that horse (even though she had promised she wouldn’t let Millie buy a horse on that trip). 

In her later years she moved to a multi-level care facility, Crosslands, in Kennett Square where she found a new community of friends and some of the most wonderful, caring, loving providers that you could imagine. 

A memorial service for Joan will be announced at a later date. 

Shiva will be observed at the Massachusetts residence of Ellen and Philip on Sunday (5/31), from 4:00PM-7:00PM. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Joan's memory may be made to Partners in Health (https://www.pih.org/), or to Kendal-Crosslands Communities’ Employee Appreciation Fund (https://www.https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E362478&id=1) and select Employee Appreciation Fund from the Giving Options drop-down menu. 

Arr. by Joseph Levine & Sons www.levinefuneral.com