Joan S. Schuman

After a brief illness, Joan S. (Joanna) Schuman passed peacefully in her sleep on September 21, 2026. She was blessed to live out her days in her home and to have time for meaningful, loving interaction with many of her friends and family prior to entering into Glory.

Joanna was born and raised in New York City. When she was in high school, she moved with her parents to Macon, Georgia. While attending Agnes Scott college in Atlanta, she met Stanley Schuman MD, the love of her life. They enjoyed 67 wonderful years of marriage and raised eight children. Throughout their years in Saint Louis (Missouri), Ann Arbor (Michigan), Mount Pleasant (SC), and Clemson (SC), Joanna immersed herself in community activities and formed deep friendships that lasted throughout her long life.

In addition to being an extraordinary mother, Joanna was a committed Christian and an active member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Clemson, SC. She organized Quiet Days and was instrumental in establishing the Richard Hooker Lecture Series which focused on theological reflection, church history, and spiritual formation. She founded and directed Sursum Corda, a national ecumenical program which nurtured the gift of Spiritual Guidance. Over a period of 17 years, more than 300 people (clergy and lay people) from many denominations participated in the two-year program and then went on to touch many lives.

A lover of words from childhood, she was a prolific writer and poet. She led Journal Workshops, participated in poetry readings, and was the “editor-in chief” of all of her husband’s published works. For three years, she served as president of the Poetry Society of South Carolina, the oldest state poetry society in America. She also participated in the Clemson OLLI Writer’s Group for a number of years and was elected as the City of Clemson's first Poet Laureate.

Joanna will be deeply missed and remembered by her eight children and their spouses, her 23 grandchildren, her 22 great-grandchildren, her care team and her many dear friends. She was truly a light to all who had the privilege of knowing her.

The family would especially like to thank Jessi, Joanna’s friend and kind caregiver who helped Joanna live independently and fully engaged in her many interests during the last decade of her life.

Friends and family are warmly invited to celebrate Joanna at a Memorial Service on Saturday, December 12 at 1:00 pm at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 193 Old Greenville Hwy, Clemson, SC 29631.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Clemson Community Care (ccc@clemsoncommunitycare.org or P.O. Box 271, Clemson SC 29633) in memory of Joanna Schuman.