I told Joan Phillips-Sandy not long ago that if anyone asked me to name a person I considered of high integrity, intelligence, reason and generosity in the community, it would be she.

Joan Phillips-Sandy Contributed photo

Joan died Aug. 12 at her Waterville home with her family at her side, as they always were, supporting and caring for her and ensuring she lived with dignity, right to the end.

She was much too young, at 78. But she accomplished more in those 78 years than many of us will in our lifetimes, and she made a difference in our lives, and in the community at large.

Joan chaired the Waterville Board of Education for many years, and was a 26-year board member. She was prepared, organized and methodical in her work. She treated people with fairness and respect and conducted discussions about controversial matters like a judge, with a firm but gentle hand. She was insightful and had a keen memory.

A lawyer, Joan was perceptive, perspicacious and articulate. She told me once that had she not gone into law, she would have pursued journalism. (She once wrote to our editor that she had “a very special place in my heart for journalists” because she was one in high school and college, and she often regretted going to law school instead.) Joan valued what we do as journalists and often emailed us constructive, positive comments and suggestions about our coverage.

She was an avid reader, kept abreast of world affairs and read newspapers, every day. She told me she loved the Morning Sentinel as it provided state, world, national news and most importantly, local news that was not available to people in many other communities.

A Morning Sentinel news clipping published on March 14, 2003.

She sometimes offered me tips about things happening in the community I wasn’t aware of, was curious about stories I was writing and wasn’t shy about pointing out errors in the newspaper. If my phone dinged at 6 a.m. during the week, particularly the day after a school board meeting, I could be pretty certain it was Joan, letting me know something needed to be fixed. She did it with good intention and I always told her I appreciated the heads up, and her attention to detail.

Joan loved Waterville. Having covered local news for 35 years, I watched her as she worked tirelessly, and cheerfully, to help improve the city and create a place where people wanted to live, work, worship and recreate. I think I first met her long ago when she was a director for Waterville Main Street, an organization that sought to help downtown thrive. She also helped found and directed the Maine International Film Festival for years, manifesting her love and knowledge of film and filmmaking by spreading it to others.

In one of my interviews with her many years ago, she described lying on the floor as a child at her family camp on Great Pond with her siblings and other relatives, watching films, absorbing them like sponges and discussing them at length. She grew up in New York City and summered in Maine, which she loved and where she and her husband, Bob, opened a law practice in Waterville more than 50 years ago.

Joan seemed to be everywhere, attending public meetings and events and giving valuable input when needed. I covered the community soup kitchen when it was in the basement of the Sacred Heart Church. Once a week, Joan would take students from Mount Merici School to the soup kitchen to help serve food, talk with guests and learn the importance of giving to those less fortunate.

Joan was so many things — a caring wife, mother, grandmother and friend to many. She spoke lovingly and often of her son, John, daughter Mary and son-in-law Nick, and was particularly proud of her grandson, Julian. I was happy to tell her, when he was born, that I was partial to the name Julian, as it is my nephew’s name.

Joan was a critical thinker and a force to be reckoned with. She had a keen sense of humor ( I can hear her inimitable laugh as she considered an irony or humorous incident). She may be gone physically, but her legacy will continue to echo in this community for a long time. She was a true community servant who cared deeply for Waterville, the state, country and world.

May you deservedly rest in peace, Joan, and Godspeed.

Amy Calder has been a Morning Sentinel reporter 35 years. Her columns appear here Saturdays. She is the author of the book, “Comfort is an Old Barn,” a collection of her curated columns, published in 2023 by Islandport Press. She may be reached at acalder@centralmaine.com. For previous Reporting Aside columns, go to centralmaine.com.