The Owings Mills community and many throughout Maryland and beyond are reflecting on the remarkable life of Joanne Passano Bartlett, age 64, who concluded her journey on November 7, 2025, at her home, surrounded by the devoted care of her husband, Chris Bartlett, and her two adult children, Elizabeth Brown and Nicholas Bartlett. Joanne’s life was a testament to education, service, athleticism, leadership, and an extraordinary capacity for love.
Born on March 21, 1961, Joanne’s path in education began early at the Gibson Island Country School. She later attended the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia, where she distinguished herself not only academically but through leadership, serving as president of the student body. Her collegiate years at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, further shaped her character and purpose. There, she met Chris, the man who would become her lifelong partner, and excelled as a varsity athlete—lettering in lacrosse and captaining the field hockey team.
Education was not simply a career for Joanne; it was a calling woven deeply into her identity. She began as a teacher and coach at Severn School before earning her Master of Education from Loyola University. Her expertise and passion for guiding young minds led her to St. Paul’s School for Girls, where she served as a college counselor, senior class dean, and admissions director. Later, she expanded her work in student support by becoming certified to tutor students with dyslexia at the Odyssey School.
Yet, her most lasting contribution to education came through her service on the Board of Trustees at St. Paul’s School for Girls. A visionary leader, Joanne played a central role in the long-discussed and carefully debated “unification” of The St. Paul’s Schools. Working closely with Elizabeth Robinson, she helped craft a model that preserved each school’s single-sex identity while creating a stronger, more cohesive administrative structure. Her diplomacy, insight, and steadiness were crucial to ensuring that the unification reflected the best interests of students, families, and educators. The success of this effort remains one of her most influential legacies.
St. Paul’s School for Boys and St. Paul’s Pre & Lower School shared a tribute recognizing Joanne’s decades of commitment. Their message recalled her years as a college counselor, dean, coach, and admissions officer beginning in 1988, followed by her service on the board, her term as board president, and her groundbreaking role as the first chief executive officer of the unified board. Her leadership helped strengthen the mission, collaboration, and long-term vision of the schools. Honored with the Robert Pollock Trustee Service Award in 2019 and the Green Apple Award in 2024, Joanne is remembered as a leader whose influence will endure for generations.
Beyond her professional work, Joanne’s family and friends remember her as warm, generous, and deeply devoted. Hospitality was second nature to her—a gift that made gatherings feel joyful and welcoming. She was affectionately known for her “long Addington goodbye,” where farewells stretched into several repeated goodbyes, each full of affection and connection.
Her love of needlepoint became a signature expression of her care. Nieces, nephews, and grandchildren received needlepoint rocking chairs created especially for them, each one stitched with thoughtfulness. Both Elizabeth and Nicholas grew up surrounded by handmade ornaments, enough to decorate multiple Christmas trees. Needlepointing with Elizabeth became a treasured shared pastime, strengthening their bond in a uniquely creative way.
A lifelong athlete, Joanne excelled not only in lacrosse and field hockey but also in tennis, where she was a multiple-time Silver Cup winner in singles and doubles. When health challenges made tennis difficult, she embraced golf with enthusiasm, traveling to courses locally and abroad. Time on the golf course with Chris and Nicholas became one of her favorite forms of family connection.
Joanne and Chris raised their children in Baltimore before relocating to New Canaan, Connecticut, in 2006. They returned to Baltimore in 2013, while continuing to spend meaningful time at their homes in Gibson Island and Kiawah, South Carolina. Through years of significant health struggles, Joanne demonstrated courage, grace, and resilience—qualities that defined her throughout her life.
She is survived by Chris; her daughter Elizabeth and her husband Grason; her grandsons, Wesley and Russell; her son Nicholas and his wife Beatrix; her father, William Moore Passano, Jr.; and her three siblings.
A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 19, at St. Christopher by the Sea in Gibson Island, Maryland. Overflow seating and livestreaming will be available at the Gibson Island Club.
To honor her extraordinary contributions to education, the Bartlett family has established the Joanne P. Bartlett Endowed Scholarship Fund, providing four-year scholarships to incoming freshmen at both St. Paul’s School for Boys and St. Paul’s School for Girls who demonstrate passion in the arts or athletics and leadership qualities that reflect Joanne’s example.
Her impact—felt in classrooms, on athletic fields, within school leadership, and in her family’s hearts—will continue to inspire all who knew her.
