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Joan Montgomery died peacefully at Evergreen Woods in North Branford on Aug. 21. Born in New Haven on May 27, 1930, Joan was the eldest child of Ralph Keeler Montgomery and Olive Wolfe Montgomery.

Her family had deep roots in New Haven, dating back to 1631 when her ninth great-grandfather Thomas Trowbridge arrived from England. Joan attended the Day School in New Haven and graduated from Wellesley College in 1952. She returned to New Haven to work at Yale University School of Medicine, where she supported Dr. Arthur Ebbert, a professor and assistant dean, from 1952 to 1962. In 1958 Joan married Roland Harry Kratzer, Jr., (“Bud”) at Trinity Church-on-the-Green in New Haven. They built a home in Branford, where they raised their three children Ellen, Roland, and Malcolm.

Joan and Bud loved sailing as members of the Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club. Commitment to volunteerism and to serving others was a cornerstone of Joan’s life. She joined the Junior League of New Haven in 1953 and remained a member for as long as her health permitted. She was actively involved with the Pine Orchard Nursery School, where she served as president, and the Damascus School PTA. Joan served on the boards of numerous community organizations, including the American Red Cross, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Planned Parenthood, where she served on the State Board from 1970 to 1974.

Joan was a lifelong parishioner of Trinity Church, where she taught Sunday School and served on the Vestry. There, she founded and managed the Tons of Food campaign, a friendly competition among area churches to collect one ton of non-perishable food each, which was donated to the Christian Community Action food pantry in New Haven. Of course, the real winners were the families in the community who didn’t have enough to eat.

Following Bud’s unexpected death in 2000, Joan moved to Evergreen Woods, an independent senior living community. Joan’s family would like to thank her compassionate caregivers at Evergreen Woods Health Center.

In addition to Bud, Joan was predeceased by her sisters Mary Ann Phelps Montgomery and Elise Montgomery Donnelley, and her brother John Cavanaugh. She is survived by her three children, Ellen Rose (Brian) of New York City; Roland Kratzer (Monica) of Thousand Oaks, California; and Malcolm Montgomery (Pamela) of Scarsdale, New York. She is also survived by her brother Daniel Montgomery and grandchildren Evan, Sasha, Kyra, Alonzo, and Matteo, as well as several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her honor to Trinity Church-on-the-Green in New Haven. Graveside services at Evergreen Cemetery, New Haven, will be private. The Hawley Lincoln Memorial is in charge of arrangements.