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Date published: 3/22/2008

Joan Norfleet

Josephine Jeffries Chapman "Joan" Norfleet of Fredericksburg died Sunday, March 16, 2008.

Born in Osaka, Japan, on March 27, 1914, Joan was the daughter of Episcopalian missionary the Rev. James Jeffries Chapman and Ellen Richie Scott Chapman. Joan was the granddaughter of William Chapman, first in command under John S. Mosby, and granddaughter of William Wallace Scott, State Librarian of Virginia, and author of the original History of Orange County, Virginia.

As a member of the Colonial Dames, Joan was a descendant of most of the first families of Virginia.

Joan's early years were spent between Japan and Gordonsville, where she began her love of woodland gardens, art and horticulture.

She married Joseph J. Clark in 1936 in Kobe, Japan, and spent many years traveling with him and living around the world from Manchuria to India and Colombia. Her first daughter, Ellen Barbour Clark Graubart, was born in India and she had her first son, Garrett Howard Clark, in Gordonsville. She was widowed in 1946.

Joan returned to America, where she received her associates degree in horticulture at Ambler Campus at Temple University. She studied sculpture in New Hope, Pa., and worked on Fifth Avenue in New York City in fashion design. Her talents and creativity encompassed many different fields, and she excelled at them all.

In November of 1949, Joan married John Edward Norfleet. While operating a dairy farm in Amelia County and building a business in Fredericksburg, they had four children together. In 1960, they moved to Fredericksburg.

Being of good stock and tough, she put up with, and supported her late husband, J.E. Norfleet, enabling him to grow the business, Norfleet Products.

Joan was an avid gardener and was a member of the Ann Page Garden Club for many years. She also worked as a master gardener volunteer in the Mary Washington House gardens. She could make anything grow, pollinating papayas in her backyard garden on Cornell Street and creating delicious meals from her kitchen garden. Being a true gardener, she was also an avid squirrel hunter.

Her tailoring and seamstress skills were exemplary, as were her playful stuffed animals, toys and creations. Every aspect of her conveyed her beauty and sense of style and design.

She served on the board of the Fredericksburg Art Gallery and was constantly experimenting with different ways to express her creativity from sculpture to painting to landscape design.

Her humor and strength were remarkable, and she left an indelible impression on all who knew her. She passed to her children the love of art, nature, gardening, cooking and zest for travel.

Joan was predeceased by a son, John Edward Norfleet Jr. She is survived by her sister, Dennis Scott Chapman; her sons, Garrett Howard Clark and Ian Scott Norfleet; her daughters, Ellen Barbour Clark Graubart, Claudia Willis and Kate Camp Norfleet; her grandsons, Aaron Graubart and Daniel Foster Norfleet; her granddaughters, Lucy Graubart, Tanya Josephine Elva Wolf Redwood and Carly Marie Norfleet; her great-granddaughter, Maneesha Kate Graubart; a first cousin, Johnny Scott; and many nieces and nephews.

There will be a memorial service for Joan on Wednesday, March 26, with a 1 p.m. family reception in the lounge, and a 2 p.m. service in the sanctuary at Trinity Episcopal Church on College Avenue in Fredericksburg.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Cancer Fund of America, 2901 Breezewood Lane, Knoxville, Tenn. 37921. 865/938-5281, cfoa.org.

Date published: 3/22/2008