Joan K. Sjostrom

1925-2019

Joan K. Sjostrom passed away peacefully on October 1st, surrounded by her family in Danville, KY. She was 94.

Joan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 20, 1925 to Olaf and Rebekka J. Kjarstad. Olaf and Rebekka emigrated to the United States from Norway, and in addition to Joan, had four more children: Martha, Marie, Becky and Ruth.

In Minneapolis, Joan met her future husband and great love, George W. Sjostrom. The two married and moved to Los Angeles, CA, where they planted their roots and started a family.

A gifted and enthusiastic artist, Joan’s passion for the arts knew no bounds: in her early years, she worked as a freelance commercial artist in Minneapolis, and in Los Angeles, studied fine art at California State University, Northridge.

She opened Kjarstad Galleries in Santa Monica, where the community could appreciate and nourish both established and emerging local artists. Joan produced an impressive oeuvre and continued painting well into her eighties.

One of her greatest achievements was as wife, mother, and grandmother: Joan created a life for her family that was full of beauty. Her innate sense of wonder and way of seeing the world was a delight. She taught her grandchildren to find inspiration everywhere.

Joan has now joined her beloved husband, George, in the continuum of our expansive universe, and is survived by her children, Gregory, Geoffrey and Chris Ann, and her grandchildren, Savannah and Angelika.

The online guestbook is available at www.stithcares.com