Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
Obituary
It is with tender hearts that we share that our mother, Joan Nagle, passed away on, July 8, 2025, just before dawn. At age 91, she was ready. As a lifelong athlete, coach and teacher, she had high standards for wellness and lived with an admirable vitality. Less mobility in her last year was particularly challenging, but she found great joy and lightness in her time with family and friends. She brought tremendous gratitude and grace to her own dying process, displaying unwavering courage and intention with her choice to stop intake of food and water. She passed peacefully accompanied by her four children.
Joan's love for community and activity was an inspiration to many. She touched many lives with her passion and spirit, in particular through her love of water. While she leaves a void in the hearts of many, she leaves with us the joy found in movement. Find the nearest body of water and in it you'll feel her love and guidance.
Mom, you are our inspiration, you are our anchor – we love and miss you.
Patty, James, Lynea, and Chris
Obituary as submitted to newspapers in Joan's various communities:
"Joan VanDerMaelen Nagle, age 91, of Provincetown, MA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, surrounded by her four children.
Born in New Haven, CT, on October 20, 1933, Joan developed a love of swimming at an early age - first in the ocean, then in a pool as a competitor. An accomplished athlete, Joan won a bronze medal in the 100 yd Breaststroke in 1949 at US Nationals while at Hillhouse High School, then attended Purdue University, earning her degree in 1955. After college she spent months traveling through Europe alone. Joan would remind us this was at a time a woman could only be issued a credit card through her husband. Beyond swimming, Joan excelled in both tennis and field hockey, inspiring others with her boundless energy and love of activity.
Joan’s swimming was the start of a career in athletics and recreation. She taught in many locations in Southern CT before moving with her husband Alan and four children to Jaffrey, NH, where she brought her skills and passion to a new community. She founded a swimming program in the Rindge elementary school to ensure every child learned to swim by the end of fourth grade. She directed the Clark Memorial Pool in Winchendon, MA, was the Program Director for the Jaffrey Recreation Department, coached field hockey at Conant High School, and was beloved in her many roles at Woodbound Inn.
Joan moved to Cape Cod in the mid-1980s to serve as the Aquatics Director at the Sandwich Community Pool. She, along with her daughter, Patty, served the upper cape community for 15 years building an aquatics program to serve all ages.
In retirement, she divided her time between San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and the Outer Cape (Eastham and Provincetown). She continued to bring people together through her love of water, starting water aerobics programs in both communities. In San Miguel, she dedicated hours each week to the local orphanage, teaching children to swim and fundraising on their behalf. On the Cape, her Wellfleet program participants became known as The Mermaids, a beloved group of 30+ women who continue to swim together, celebrate friendship, and raise funds for worthy causes.
Joan's spirit of service extended far and wide. She fundraised and pedaled with her four children in the first 250-mile AIDS Ride from Boston to New York City, competed in numerous triathlons well into her 70s, and swam annually in Provincetown’s Swim for Life until her mid-80s. Joan had a unique gift for bringing people together—through swimming, volunteering, organizing retreats, and her favorite game, Rummikub. She remained a lifelong advocate for athletics and physical health. She will be remembered for her integrity, compassion, and unwavering love for her family, friends, and many communities.
Joan is predeceased by her husband, Alan Nagle, and is survived by her four children: Patty of Santa Fe, NM; James of Boston, MA; Lynea of Warren, RI; and Christopher of Truro, MA—as well as four cherished grand-dogs: Sedna, Selah, Gus, and Willa.
A memorial service will be held on October 18, 2025. More details and remembrances can be found at www.online-tribute.com/JoanNagle.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to The Lily House: www.thelilyhouse.org/ways-you-can-help#Donate
Share your memories and stories of Joan
Please share your memories and stories that you have of Joan on the memory wall below.
We also ask that you RSVP if you plan on attending Joan's memorial and celebration of her life.
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Memory wall
including mine. What touched me most was the degree of your courage and determination to the very end. May I emulate you when it is my time.
Dan Shaw ❤️💛💙💚💜🩷
I had donated my equipment to Joan to help her teach the children in Mexico.
Joan was awesome and a legend in her time. She got the most out of a lifetime teaching and helping others.
May she RIP 🙏 and enjoy seeing my Mom again.
Much Love,
Diane
Sending love from all the Grady’s ♥️🕊️
The fun, the conversations and outreach enriched every life you touched. A day rarely passes without a thought of you,
My love to your family whom I know you loved.
Memorial and Celebration of Joan
We will come together to remember and celebrate Joan's amazing life. While we mourn the loss of our dear Joan, we also cherish the moments shared, the joy she brought into our lives, and the impact she had on so many of us. Your presence is welcomed during this time of remembrance and reflection.
We would appreciate an RSVP if you plan to attend so we can send you additional details prior to the gathering.
Please park at Cold Storage Beach parking lot which is about a 1/3 mile walk to the chapel.
17 Pond Road
North Truro, MA
24 Pond Road
North Truro, MA
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