Joan Gottlieb Adoff

Joan Gottlieb Adoff was born on June 4, 1934 in New York City.  She was the younger of two daughters born to George Gottlieb (a dentist) and Lillian Gottlieb (an elementary school teacher).  Joan attended both Hunter High School and Hunter College in New York City.  She graduated Hunter College Magma Cum Laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society with a major in math.  She relocated to Washington, DC when she became one of the first Jewish women hired by IBM as a computer programmer. Joan met her husband Stanley in 1961 on a blind date when Stanley traveled to DC for a job interview. Stan’s mother called her “Saint Joan” for rescuing Stan from the bachelor life. The couple married in April of 1962 in New York City, later settling in Rockville, Maryland to raise their family. Their son Larry was born in 1963 followed by their daughter Julie in 1966.  Joan was a full time working mom when Larry and Julie were young. Even though she worked full time, Joan still found time to serve as PTA president at her children’s school and was an active board member at both Temple Emanuel and Washington Hebrew Congregation.  Joan and Stanley became one of the early members of the Empty Nesters group at Washington Hebrew when they joined WHC in 1986.  It was through the Empty Nesters group that Joan and another member started a chapter of the Hunger Project, an organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger.  Under Joan’s co-leadership, the Washington Hebrew Hunger Project has packed well over one million meals for those in need!

After retirement, Joan had a fulfilling and successful second career as a math tutor and also volunteered in the math lab at Wooten High School for 20 years.  She loved tutoring and loved all the kids she tutored - often forming bonds that lasted her lifetime. Her family has been so touched by all the calls, emails, and texts they have received from former students.  Joan would have been tickled by this outpouring of love. In addition to being active members of Washington Hebrew, Joan and Stan loved to travel with friends, spend most weekends at their beloved beach house in Bethany where they would play tennis and relax in the sand. Joan and Stan were known for hosting many Thanksgiving and Passover dinner. Neither of the holidays were complete without her list of “strays” that she insisted attend often using the occasion to share the traditions of the Jewish faith.

Above all Joan loved being a wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, great aunt and great great aunt.  She was a fierce protector and advocator for all her family.  Her family often likes to tell stories about how she would “go all Joan” on anyone who dared to harm her loved ones. Joan would never shy away from telling someone how she really felt.  However, Joan was not all business either and would often say to her grandchildren “what if today there were no what if’s and we just relaxed and had fun.” Joan was beyond proud of her grandchildren Zach, Eva, Julian, and Hayden and needed absolutely no prompting before she would start to brag about each one of them.

So today, in honor of Joan her family asks that you have “no what if’s or regrets” and get out and do something together that you all enjoy.

Joan is survived by her husband of 58 years, Stanley Adoff, her son Larry Adoff (Cyndi), their children Julian and Hayden and her daughter Julie Watson (George Lorenzo) and their children Zachary and Eva.

Condolences to the family can be sent to rememberingjoan2020@gmail.com. 

Donations in Joan’s  memory can be made to the Empty Nesters at Washington Hebrew Congregation at https://www.whctemple.org/faith-in-action/giving; JSSA hospice of Rockville at www.jssa.org; or For 3 Sisters at https://www.f3s.org/.