Joan (Banks) Dunlop

LAKEVILLE — Joan (Banks) Dunlop, 78, a Lakeville resident for the past 19 years, died June 29, 2012, at home from cancer, which she had fought and successfully managed for 30 years. She was born May 20, 1934, in London, England, to Ruth and Maurice Banks. Because of her American mother, she was attracted to life in the United States from an early age and decided to move to New York in 1960.Her early work at institutions such as the Ford Foundation, the city of New York under Mayor John Lindsay, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the New York Public Library honed her lifelong passion for women’s health and well-being, both globally and locally. She went on to contribute to this field in various capacities, most significantly as president of the International Women’s Health Coalition from 1984 to 1998. Later in her career she served on the board of several organizations, including the Open Society Institute and CARE International. In the Lakeville communityshe was on the board of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, was a founding member of the Foundation for Community Health and contributed significantly to the Northwest Corner Fund among other philanthropic endeavors. Throughout her career, Joan was a tireless advocate for those who didn’t have a voice or weren’t being heard. She was married twice but never had children. She was devoted to her family — brother and sister, nephews and nieces — and Arthur Coppotelli, her close friend. She touched so many lives in so many ways, and was a support and source of inspiration to everyone who knew her. Donations can be made in her name to the International Women’s Health Coalition, www.iwhc.org. Arrangements are under the care of the Kenny Funeral Home in Sharon.