Joan (Doherty) LaFrance passed away on July 28, 2010 after bravely enduring a period of failing health due to respiratory illness. She was 83. Born in Taunton, she was the daughter of John F. and Elsie A. (Sheehan) Doherty, the third eldest in a family of eight children. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Norman A. LaFrance. Joan was a graduate of Bridgewater State Teachers College and devoted many years to her profession as an elementary school teacher in Taunton and Dighton. She served several terms as a member of the Board of the Dighton Housing Authority. Joan and husband "Joe" raised two daughters, Ann and Joan, with great love, high expectations, and a no-holds-barred view of the world. They were the ideal parents. Joan cherished her home in North Dighton and was a devoted fan of the Red Sox and Patriots in good years and bad. She also enjoyed life on Cape Cod and embarked on a number of memorable journeys around the US and Europe in the course of a full and well-lived life. She is survived by her daugher Ann J. LaFrance of London, England; daughter Joan LaFrance and two loving granddaughters, Kathryn M. and Sarah A. Linhares, of Greenwhich, Connecticut; siblings John F. Doherty, Jr. of Taunton, MA, Eleanor M. Bush of Colorado Springs, CO, Mary E. Fisher of Atlanta, GA, Ann E. Lamore of Virginia Beach, VA, Matthew T. Doherty of West Palm Beach, FL, and Elsie A. Whittaker of Falmouth, MA (her brother James F. Doherty of Taunton, MA having predeceased her); many cherished in-laws from the LaFrance and Nadeau families; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Relatives, friends, former colleagues and students are invited to attend a memorial Mass in celebration of Joan's life on Friday morning, August 6, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church, 499 Spring St., North Dighton. Interment St. Joseph Cemetery in Taunton. Arrangements are under the direction of the O’Keefe-Wade Funeral Home in Taunton. Donations in Joan's memory may be made to the The Dighton Ambulance Fund, 300 Main St., Dighton, MA 02517. Visit our website www.okeefewade.com to sign the online guestbook,obituaries & directions.