Obituary of Joan C. Dauber

Joan C. Dauber, 80, of Colchester, passed away peacefully at St. Francis Hospital on Saturday, March 8, 2025.  She was born in Middletown on June 18,1944 to Stephen and Clara Dobrowolsky.

Joan grew up in Cromwell and Middletown.  She was a graduate of Middletown High School and Framingham State College.  Upon graduating, Joan began her career as a dietitian in the US Army Medical Specialist Corps.  In 1967, she completed her internship as a dietitian at Brooke General Hospital in San Antonio, TX.  Joan was then stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC where she met her husband James Dauber.  She married James on June 6, 1969, and was discharged from the US Army on July 13, 1969.

Joan and Jim moved to New Rochelle, NY where their daughter Holly was born.  In 1972, they moved to Newington, CT and in 1976 to Glastonbury, CT where they spent the next 40 years.  Joan and Jim have lived in Colchester since 2017.

Joan worked as a registered dietitian for Mt. Sinai Hospital and then St. Francis Hospital for over 40 years.  Early on in her career, Joan became acutely aware of the food insecurity that her patients and much of the community experienced.  In 1976, she started stocking food and other essentials in a closet in her office.  That closet expanded to larger spaces overtime and eventually became the St. Francis Emergency Food Bank.  It was the first food bank in the nation located in a hospital setting.  Under Joan, the food bank grew and evolved based on the needs of the community she served.  Realizing that many individuals in the community lacked access to diapers, the food bank partnered with The Diaper Bank of Connecticut to provide diapers for families with young children.  In 2012 the food bank was renamed the Joan C. Dauber Food Bank.  Joan retired in 2019 but continued to volunteer and support the food bank. Just prior to her passing, Joan and other volunteers were working on organizing an annual diaper drive that would benefit a multitude of families that receive care through St. Francis Hospital.

Never one to sit still, Joan could be found in the kitchen baking cookies, cakes, and muffins that she rarely ate, but gave to her neighbors, friends, and family. Food was the way she expressed gratitude, caring, and love to those around her.  She enjoyed knitting blankets as she watched the UConn women’s basketball team on TV.  Even at 80 Joan was hard to keep up with and slowing down wasn’t part of her plan.

Joan is survived by her husband of 56 years, James Dauber; daughter, Holly Dauber; grandsons, Nathaniel and Samuel Laird; and 11 other grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, March 14, 2025 at 11:00 am at Guardian Angels Parish in St. Andrew Church, 128 Norwich Ave., Colchester. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. Friends may call on Thursday, March 13, 2025 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Joan C. Dauber Food Bank, the American Red Cross, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com.