Being in a military family, Joan attended more than 20 different schools throughout Germany and the United States. She spent the last three years of her secondary education at McCallum High School in Austin, Texas, where she graduated in 1961. While attending college at the University of Texas at Austin, Joan met Charles S. Everson IV. They married a year later in 1963. Joan and Charles had two children together and maintained a great friendship while raising their children after their divorce in 1972.

Joan and her two children made a home in Sherman, Texas. She was a devoted mom with a full schedule. While taking classes at East Texas State College, she continued to work and take care of her children. Even with her busy schedule, she almost always had a home cooked meal for dinner. Joan filled the rest of her time attending PTA meetings, volunteering at school carnivals and getting her children to their after school activities. She worked for Johnson and Johnson until 1983, where she obtained her OSHA safety certification. She then joined CNA as a safety inspector. Over the course of her career with CNA, Joan lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas, Texas and Metairie, Louisiana. Joan later became the Director of Loss Control Services, Large Account Division. Eventually, she moved back to Texas to be near her children and grandchildren. Joan retired from CNA in 2008.

Joan was a woman with a servant's heart and volunteered with many local community organizations. She helped with Camp Fire Girls activities and was a Cub scout leader. She was also active in the Jaycee Wives, March of Dimes and the National Organization for Women. Joan and her children were members at St. Stephens Episcopal church in Sherman, where she taught the preschool Sunday School class with her best friend. In Houston, she volunteered with Bear Creek Community Center, worked many early mornings in the kitchen for Lord of the Streets and helped her daughter with PTA and NJROTC activities at Mayde Creek Junior High and Mayde Creek High School. She could be found selling Chick-fil-A, pizza and nachos during weekly school lunches and helping out at the high school Fun Food Friday events. All of her hard work led her to being named Volunteer of the Month at Mayde Creek High School. She never missed a concert, football game, marching band contest, or cheer event for her five grandchildren, and often traveled between Houston and Austin where the events occurred.

Joan adored volunteering at St. Cuthbert Episcopal Church in CyFair and the Friends of the Library for Lone Star College-CyFair. At St. Cuthbert, Joan had been a member of Community of Hope, Seniors  group, and Fellowship Guild.   She was the cookie queen, and made the best cookies ever and no one else had her recipes.  She also was involved in various small groups and Bible studies.

The Lone Star College-CyFair branch of the Harris County Public Library opened along with the Lone Star College-CyFair campus in August 2003. By 2006, a Friends of the Library Group was in place and Joan was one of the first Board Members. Four years later, Joan became the President of the Board and served in that capacity from 2010 -2019. Under her leadership The Friends began some of their most successful programs: Liaison Programing with the LSC Center for the Arts, establishing and endowing four fully funded LSC Student Scholarships, funding awards for the best library research papers and for the study abroad photo contest, supporting the Children's Library Summer and Winter Reading Programs, providing performers for the Children's Library Program, supplying books for Teen and Tween Reading clubs, supplying materials for LSC Student Learning Program for future teachers, funding for library exhibits and visiting authors and providing full year support for the Student Food Pantry. In 2019, after serving as Board President for nine years, Joan was looking for a new challenge, so she stepped out of her role as President and became the Volunteer Coordinator for the Friends Bookstore. In addition to her work with the Friends of the Library, Joan was also an enthusiastic supporter of the Library's LIFE Program. LIFE in the Library, a weekly multifaceted event for grownups, provided the Library Community's adults with weekly programs that were new, educational and fun. Joan was famous with the LIFERS for her cooking presentations featuring the artful addition of mushrooms to everything short of cookies.

Joan was preceded in death by her parents; her ex-husband and friend, Charles S. Everson IV; and her brother, Donald G. Snider. She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth O'Donnell and husband David; son, Charles S. Everson V and wife Shannon (Woodworth); grandson, Patrick O'Donnell and his wife Mariah (Crippen), granddaughter, Molly O'Donnell and her partner Quentin Lathan; grandson, Charles Everson; granddaughter, Mara Jolie Everson; grandson, William Everson; and great-grandson, Colby Lathan who affectionately called her Gege. Joan was a friend and good neighbor to many.

Joan's celebration of life will be on August 6, 2022 at 2:00pm at St. Cuthbert Episcopal Church on 17020 West Road @Queenston, Houston TX 77095.

Of her many projects with Friends of the Library, scholarships were her devotion. In her honor, the Lone Star Community College-CyFair Friends of the Library have created the Joan Everson scholarship in her honor. As an expression of sympathy, donations may be made to Lone Star College-CyFair Branch Friends of the Library, 9191 Barker Cypress Rd, Cypress TX 77433