Joan Pond McDonough

Joan Pond McDonough passed away on September 7, 2022 in Berkeley California. She was 100 years old.

Joan was born in Pasadena, California to parents Robert and Lucile Pond. She graduated from South Pasadena High School in 1940. She attended Stanford University but postponed her education to support the war effort by working at an assembly plant in Long Beach.

It was at Stanford that she met her future husband, Richard (Dick) McDonough and a lifelong circle of friends. Dick was one of the founding partners of the San Francisco law firm, Carroll, Burdick & McDonough. Dick and Joan were married in 1947. They lived for a time in Point Richmond and eventually settled in Berkeley. Joan and Dick had four children, two daughters and two sons. The young family enjoyed summer trips to Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach, Aptos, Volcano and later at Sea Ranch.

Joan enjoyed a good book as well as her favorite newspapers, the San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times. She was a lifelong lover of art, architecture, the theater and opera. She was a long-time docent at the Oakland Museum and an active member of the museum’s Council on Architecture. Joan was a member of the Claremont Book Club from 1965- 2018 and a member of the Town & Gown Club in Berkeley from 1987-2019.

Dick and Joan enjoyed traveling to destinations near and far, from a drive to the Motherlode to a river cruise on the Danube. More recently, Joan and her daughters took a wonderful train trip through the Canadian Rockies as well as a trip to Mt. Vernon on her 90th birthday. As much as Joan liked to travel, in the later years, she always looked forward to returning home to Mindy, her beloved labradoodle.

Joan was always a gracious host. Family dinners at the McDonough’s were always tasteful but lively affairs. Young and old looked forward to Joan’s Yorkshire pudding. There are also fond memories of dinners with family and friends at Jack’s Restaurant in San Francisco and Trader Vic’s.

A thoughtful grandmother, Joan made sure that her grandchildren had their “day” of shopping and lunch with Grandmother Jo Jo.

Joan is pre-deceased by her husband, sisters Jane and Barbara and brother William. She is survived by daughter Annalee, son Richard Jr., son Robert, daughter Elizabeth, sons-in law James and Andrew, daughters-in law Deborah and Irene, grandchildren Conor, Brian, Ross, Evan and Jacob and great grandchildren Julian and Llewyn.

There will be a private celebration of Joan’s life. In remembrance of Joan’s life, the family requests that any donations be made to those Democratic office holders and candidates who support the continuation of democracy in the United States.

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