Joan Lynn Thompson Morse

Born November 10, 1934, in St. Tammany Parish as Joan Lynn Thompson. On September 21, 2024, passed away surrounded by her loving family at Summerfield Assisted Living. At an early age the family moved to Ponchatoula, Louisiana where she completed elementary and high school, graduating in 1953 as salutatorian of her class. Joan attended Southeastern Louisiana College that fall. In the spring of 1954, she left school to marry Melvin Morse. They had a daughter, Belinda, in May of 1956, and a son, Melvin, in May of 1959. In 1961, she opened a private kindergarten in Ponchatoula that was known as “The Little Red Schoolhouse”. In 1965, she returned to Southeastern and received her B.A. degree in elementary education with certification in kindergarten and graduating with high honors in 1969. She was also a part of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and The Thirteen Club SLU Honor Society. In the fall of 1969, she began to teach the first public school class of kindergarten boys at D.C. Reeves School in Ponchatoula. She continued at Southeastern and received her M. Ed. Degree in elementary education with certification in Special Education and Supervision in 1971. During the 1972-73 years of school, she began to work with student teachers where she found the work greatly rewarding. Later, Joan received a master’s degree from Louisiana State University in Supervision and Administration which she used in her more than 30 years of teaching at Tucker and Perrin, where she retired as Principal. Joan was also part of the Ponchatoula Gardenettes as secretary. She was a devoted church and community volunteer. Joan and her husband, “Tuck” devoted their time to the Collinswood Museum in Ponchatoula where they would arrange exhibits and answer questions from tourists. Joan was also a member of “The Red Hatters”. Joan wrote a column in the Daily Star newspaper called “Ponchy Patter” where she always used a quote about chocolate and talked about her granddaughter “Sweetie”. She has been a member of First Baptist Church of Ponchatoula since 1946 where she sang in the Triple S Choir, was active in the Young At Heart program, was a member of the WMU, taught Sunday school, and helped with Vacation Bible School during the summers. Joan and “Tuck” enjoyed many years of traveling the United States and all over the world, from the Holy Land, China, Russia, Africa and all parts of Europe. Joan was a beautiful loving wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, and so much more, who is dearly and greatly missed by all that knew her. Joan is survived by her daughter, Belinda Morse of Crowley, LA; son, Melvin “Tuck” Morse, Jr. (Patrice), and beloved granddaughter, Ashley Nicole “Sweetie” Morse; and half-brother, Manson Thompson Jr. (Lisa). Joan is preceded by her loving husband of 62 ½ years, Melvin “Tuck” Curtis Morse, Sr.; her parents, Manson Thompson Sr. and Vennie Gottschaulk Thompson; and half-sister, Darlene Thompson. The family would like to give special thanks to the staff at Summerfield Assisted Living and Hospice of Baton Rouge and her caregiver, Mamie Weatherspoon. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend a visitation at First Baptist Church of Ponchatoula on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 1 p.m. until the start of the Memorial Service at 3 p.m. Pastor David Cranford will officiate with an interment to follow in Ponchatoula Cemetery.

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Joan Lynn Thompson Morse

November 10, 1934 - September 21, 2024