Joanna Hall

Born December 18, 1939, in North Hampton PA – Passed October 25, 2023, at home in Portsmouth RI

Daughter of late Rev. Dr. Clarence H. Moatz, former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Allentown, PA, and the late Elizabeth Weaver Moatz, a Daughter of the American Revolution.

She received B.S. degree at Pennsylvania State University in 1961.

A resident of Portsmouth, RI, Joanna also lived in Pennsylvania, New York City, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Washington State, and Massachusetts. Her last employment was as a legal assistant at a law firm in Allentown, PA. Prior to that she was a computer software instructor and office manager of various small businesses.

She was a founding member, president, and trip leader of the Seacoast Ski Club in New Hampshire. Also, in NH she served as the president of her condominium association and as secretary of the New Hampshire Potter’s Guild. Joanna was a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Hawaii and Vancouver, WA. In Pennsylvania she served as Chairperson of the Lehigh Valley Group of the Sierra Club and was a charter member of the Macungie Historical Society. More recently she served as a docent at the Buzzard’s Bay Coalition and on the curator committee of the Portsmouth RI Historical Society.

Two children – Beth Alison and Brian Hall of Tiverton, RI. Two grandchildren – Mitchell Robinson and Emily Robinson. One brother – William Moatz of Villanova, PA. Also many others in her loving Ohana.

A personal note we discovered from Joi,

"I hope that I have touched some people’s lives in the course of my career and made their lives a little better. In my professional life as a vocational instructor and counselor, I helped people prepare themselves for jobs by sharing computer and job searching skills. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to see my former students get jobs, keep them and also grow into better opportunities.

Another hope is that the various causes for which I have worked during my adult life will, in some small way, help to make the world a better place. In the past, I have worked for the cause of peace, the civil rights movement, and the Poor People’s Campaign. I have also worked for political candidates in whom I believed.

In more recent years I have been an environmental activist because I am very fearful of the damage being done to our planet Earth. As the chairperson of the local Sierra Club group, I involved myself in local issues, but my own personal concerns are population and the health of our oceans. As a layperson, I have been involved in whale research and have learned a lot about these magnificent creatures. To me, saving the whales and their habitat is a barometer by which to measure all the things which must be done to stop the degradation of our planet.

I have little in the way of possessions or money to leave my children and grandchildren, but I hope that by setting an example of the need to care about other people and the world around us, I have left a legacy that will improve their lives."

In lieu of flowers please send a donation to:
Portsmouth RI Library where our mom was a popular regular.
Or Save Buzzard’s Bay Coalition, a cause very dear to her.