Dr. Joan Miller Mathews, was born April 24, 1937 to the union of Thomas Calvin and Pearl Campbell Miller. She was raised in the Traphill Community of Yadkin Valley in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. On the morning of April 30 she passed peacefully at Moses Cone Hospital. She was a faithful member of Sandy Creek Baptist Church until she left the community to further her education. At the time of her death, she was a member of Providence Baptist Church where she was involved in the Health Ministry. She has been a member of St. Joseph AME Church of Durham NC and Reid Memorial CME of Greensboro.She matriculated at Lincoln Heights High School where she graduated valedictorian. She received a diploma in practical nursing from Durham School of Practical Nursing in 1958 and was awarded the Scholastic Achievement Award for the highest grade point average. After working two years as a LPN, she entered Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing. At graduation in 1962, she received the Leadership Award and the Technical Competence Award from Lincoln. She passed the RN Licensure Examination and received commendation from the N.C. Board of Nursing for being one of three nurses with the highest score in Obstetric Nursing in 1962. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1965 from North Carolina Central University, a Masters degree in Medical-Surgical Nursing in 1971 from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a Doctorate degree in Curriculum and Teaching in 1997 from University of North Carolina-Greensboro.She was a faithful and committed graduate to the educational institutions she attended. She held faculty positions at Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing, North Carolina Central University and University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She was a 44+ year member of the Chi Eta Phi Sorority Inc. Chi Eta Phi is an international sorority with diverse cultural and educational backgrounds founded in 1932. Its membership consists of professional nursing students and professional registered nurses. In 2009 she received the highest honor given to a member by the Southeast Region of Chi Eta Phi during the 56th Regional Conference. She served on the Southeast Region Scholarship Committee as the Sigma Chi Chapterâ??s Scholarship Chairman and as a delegate to regional and national meetings. Since the UNCG Sigma Chi Alpha Beta Chapter was chartered in 1999, she has been faculty advisor and Beta sponsor. During the 10 years of service the UNCG Chapter has received scholarship awards totaling over $35,000, five Beta Image Awards and eight academic achievement awards in recognition of community service.She served on the Guilford County Board of Social Services from January 2001 â?? June 2007, including one year as vice chairman. She was a member of the NC Association of County Boards of Social Services and a member of NC A&T School of Nursing Advisory Committee, and NC Nurses Association, Gamma Zeta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. She was a member of the Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association and was a Distinguished Alumnus of North Carolina Central University School of Nursing. She served as President of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Armed Forces Retirees Club. She and her sister, Clara Jones, have spent countless hours researching the family roots. Their great grandfather, Solomon Campbell, was an ex-slave who owned land on Campbellâ??s Mountain which is now a part of Stone Mountain State Park, North Carolina. The family also published The Intelligent Banner newspaper in early 1900s while living on Campbellâ??s Mountain.She was very outgoing and made an impression on everyone she met. She is survived by husband, Louis Mathews; son, Joseph H. Martin, Jr., MD; daughter-in-law, Bertha; step-son, Gregory Mathews; step-daughters, Wanda Bethea (Laurence) and Ashley Mathews; sister, Clara Jones; brother, Jerry Miller; grand-daughters Jazzary and Kierra Martin; nieces, Sharyn Gardener (Rohan), Joylynn Miller, Jenelle White(Milton); cousins, Patricia Ramsey, Charles Campbell, Bobbie Campbell, Larry Campbell (Sandra), Gwendolyn Potter, Sarah Campbell; dear friends and extended family, Elmontenal Allens, Delores and Earl Washington, Amelia Cain and Family, Cathy Badgett, Riley King, and a host of other relatives and friends.