A Memorial Funeral service for Joan “Jo Ann” Wells Duncan, 94, will be Monday, August 17, 2026, at 6:00 PM at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Greg Lee officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Visitation will be Monday, August 17, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Peck Funeral Home. Burial of Cremains will be at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, August 18th in Franklin Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Duncan passed away on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Falkville Health Care Center. Joan was born February 27, 1932, in Russellville, Alabama, to John A. Wells and Flora Mae Prestridge Wells. From the very beginning, Joan was a bright, curious child who loved learning, reading, and telling stories.
She began school at Rockwood at just five years old. Her father was a school bus driver, so Joan rode his bus to school and began her first year of school earlier than most children. She was a good student and developed a lifelong love of reading. Even as a young girl, she had a wonderful imagination and loved making up stories to tell the other children.
Some of Joan’s happiest childhood memories were the times she spent with her grandparents. After school, she would walk to her grandmother Wells’ home, where she would enjoy a cup of coffee and a cat-head biscuit for a snack. Coffee remained her favorite drink throughout her entire life. She spent many hours with her grandmother, helping in the garden and cooking for her uncles. Those simple days of family, hard work, good food, and time together were cherished memories that stayed with her throughout her life.
Her summers were filled with another special adventure. Joan’s grandfather Prestridge was a right-of-way Maintenance Supervisor on the Southern Railroad, and one of the highlights of her summers was riding the train with him from Spruce Pine, Alabama, to Roanoke, Alabama to visit her family. She loved spending those summers with her grandparents and cousins and would tell those stories for the rest of her life.
Joan graduated from Russellville High School in 1949. Following graduation, she married Donald W. Duncan, the love of her life. Together they raised two children, and during their marriage they lived in the Rockwood area for several years before moving to several different states across the South. Their years together brought many adventures and experiences before they eventually retired back home in Russellville.
Throughout her life, Joan remained an avid reader. A good book was always a welcome companion, and her love of reading was one of the interests she carried with her from childhood through her later years.
Joan was also a devoted Christian woman and a faithful member of West Hartselle Baptist Church. Wherever life took her, she could be found in church. Her faith was not simply something she believed-it was something she lived. She taught Sunday school, attended and served as president of the WMU, taught Vacation Bible School, and continually found ways to support missionaries and ministry.
Even when she could no longer participate in church activities as she once had, Joan found a way to serve. She collected stamps through Sunday school and sent them to a prison ministry. Her desire to help others never left her. She became a certified First Aid Trainer and taught First Aid classes through the Red Cross, sharing knowledge that could help others in times of need. She was a past member of The Eastern Star and current member of the Stephens Chapter DAR.
Joan was a wonderful homemaker and an exceptional cook. She took pride in providing for her family and preparing food for those she loved. During the summer months, she would freeze and can vegetables so her family could enjoy them during the winter. Among her specialties were turkey and dressing, coconut cake, and caramel pie- but the favorite of all who got to try them was her Peach Fried Pies, foods that became part of the memories and traditions of her family.
During retirement, Joan discovered another creative passion: making porcelain dolls. What began as a retirement hobby became a special talent. She made baby dolls, fashion dolls, and bride dolls, and even created a five-foot-tall doll. One of her most special talents was creating dolls that resembled their owners, making each one a truly personal treasure.
Above all else, Joan loved her family and friends.
She was a woman of faith who prayed for her family faithfully. She was always there when they needed her, offering love, encouragement, wisdom, a warm embrace, and a helping hand. Her family knew they could count on her. And just as surely as Joan loved her family, her family loved her.
Joan was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Donald W. Duncan; her parents, John A. Wells and Flora Mae “Mae” Wells; and her sister, Mary Alice Wells White.
She leaves behind a loving family who will carry her legacy forward: her son, Donald (Lyn) Duncan; her daughter, Garnet (Donnie) Williams; her grandsons, James (Brittnie) Duncan, Daniel (Dawn) Duncan, and Alan (Nicole) Williams; her granddaughter, Alyson Williams Miller; six great-granddaughters; Vivian Duncan, Camille Duncan, Audrey Duncan, Marura Miller, Shelby Duncan, and Tabitha Duncan, two great-grandsons; Marshall Duncan, and Harrison Miller, and several nieces and nephews. She also leaves behind her special adopted family who loved her dearly, Dean Couch and Carol Brown and the many friends she has made during her life.
The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Falkville Nursing Home and Hospice of North Alabama for the love, kindness, and compassionate care they provided to Joan. Their dedication and care brought comfort to Joan and her family, and they will always be remembered with sincere appreciation.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Samaritan’s Purse or to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering at West Hartselle Baptist Church or the Baptist church of your choice.
Joan’s life was built around the things she valued most-faith, family, friends, service, learning, creativity, and love. She gave generously of herself, whether she was teaching a child, preparing a meal, helping at church, making a doll, tending a garden, praying for her family, or simply sharing a cup of coffee and a story.
Her life was not measured only by the years she lived, but by the lives she touched.
She was deeply loved, and she will be deeply missed.
Her family will forever remember her with love, gratitude, and the stories that made her uniquely Joan.
Peck Funeral Home
