Joan Sage, age 86, of Williamsburg, VA, passed away on May 1, 2026 after a short illness.
She was predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Mary (Smey) Pellack of Waterbury, CT and her sister, Eleanor (Pellack) Spagnola of Watertown, CT.
She is survived by her daughter, Rachel Sage, of Hopkinton, MA, son-in-law, Alan Chaiken, of Hopkinton, MA, and son, Steven Sage.
Fiercely independent and resourceful would be an understatement when describing Joan. After high school, she graduated from Hartford Hospital School of Nursing and became an operating room nurse. She was a stay-at-home mother while her children were young but picked up interests and hobbies which allowed her to build a long-term career.
While helping hurricane survivors in coastal Texas, she met a group of amateur radio operators and quickly became licensed herself (call signs WB8MFD and W1IZ). She learned to build her own radio equipment and turned that experience into a job as an electronics lab technician. From there, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Charter Oak State College and became a software developer, primarily working with scientists on control systems on fascinating projects such as a particle accelerator at CEBAF/Jefferson Labs in Virginia, the SuperConducting Super Collider in Waxahatchee, TX, and the University of Texas’ McDonald Observatory telescope in Big Bend National Park.
Her retirement was no less busy with her activities ranging from working as a Master Gardener at Colonial Williamsburg and volunteering at the Williamsburg Library. Her latest obsession was bridge, a game which continued her lifelong learning goals and where she made a number of close friends.
No public service is planned. She will be buried at Williamsburg Memorial Park.
Donations in her name may be made to Doctors Without Borders.
