Joan Francke Remick Post, the daughter of Joseph Gould Remick and Eleanor Huntington Francke Remick, passed away on Saturday, June 22, 2024. She was born on March 29, 1931. Raised in Cedarhurst, Long Island and New York City, Joan and her husband, James McNee, chose Tryon, N.C. as their final home 41 years ago. They also had a summer cottage in Damariscotta.
Joan is survived by her sister, Eleanor Huntington Remick Seaman; her children, Edward Duffy French, Anne Huntington French, Gould Remick French, and their spouses, Kathleen Moran French, Richard Thomas Wurzelbacher, and Marianne Sysak French; her stepdaughter, Irene McNee Alexander and her husband, Kenneth Alexander; her grandchildren; three nieces and nephew; and 11 grandnieces and nephews.
A true artist, she had an illustrious fashion career with B. Altman & Co., setting the gold standard in bridal and women’s wear. In her personal life, her artistic skills blossomed across many art forms from her clothes design, including the beautiful Barbie doll clothes she made for her daughter and matching mother-daughter outfits, to prolific needlepoint projects – pillows, chairs, and other everyday items – winning the prestigious The New York Lighthouse Show for the Blind award, to basket weaving in the style of North Carolina Indigenous arts, to her bold interior design that took everyone’s breath away. She and Jim also created intricate and refined dollhouses and shadow boxes that won best in class at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Last, but not least, are her quilts. A treasure trove of award-winning quilts, she redefined and reinterpreted this early American art with a boldness not seen before.
And anyone who knew her also knew about her love of animals, from elephants in Africa, to her King Charles doggies, and wonderful kitty cat, Kahlua.
While she would laugh at the “trailblazer” epithet, she was recognized for her style professionally, in her community, and among her friends and family. She expressed her love through color, was a visionary designer, and had an unparalleled skill combining textures, patterns, and colors, which made what she produced cherished and coveted by all.
Her warmth, humor, spunk, generosity, and high standards will be missed. Her family, friends, and caregivers feel very lucky to have had her in their lives.
The family would welcome any donations to be made on Joan’s behalf to Tryon Presbyterian Church.
