Mrs. Joan Ollie-Sample, of Suitland, Md., passed away on Oct. 6, 2022, at the age 74 in Washington, D.C. Joan was born in Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, to Severn Brown Stevens, of Kendall Grove, and Emma Lee Stevens, of Painter.
Joan attended Battle Creek Central High School in Battle Creek, Mich., where she was a talented dancer and cheerleader. In 1970, Joan married Van Buren Ollie and they had a daughter, Fatima Lynnette Ollie. Joan graduated from Western Michigan University in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree and began work as a speech and language therapist at the Virginia State School for the Deaf in Hampton. After some years living and working in Washington, D.C., Joan moved back to the Eastern Shore of Virginia, working as a speech therapist for the Virginia Public Schools in Accomack.
Joan is predeceased by both of her parents, Severn Brown Stevens and Emma Lee Stevens.
She is survived by her daughter, Lynn Ollie, and her brother, Severn Brown Stevens Jr.
Her memory will live on in the countless lives she touched as a devoted teacher, mentor, and friend.
