Joan L. (Potter) Bright, 85, of Sturbridge and formerly of Auburn, passed away peacefully in the comfort of her home on Saturday, May 23, 2020 surrounded by family and with her loving daughters by her side. Born in Webster, MA and raised in North Grosvenordale, CT, Joan was the 2nd of 4 children born to the late Raymond E. Potter and Lois E. (Strait) Potter. Joan graduated from Tourtellotte Memorial High School in 1952, where she was a member of the Glee Club, Camera Club, Civic Club, Hilltop Playhouse F.H.A, and served as Class Treasurer. She was also on the Girls Basketball team even though she was afraid of the ball and of the girls on the opposing teams. Following Graduation, Joan worked at American Optical in Southbridge, MA with one of her best friends, Phyllis (Peterson) Willette. In 1959, Joan married Bernard Bright and became an Army wife over the next ten years. She travelled alone with her 2 young daughters to posts in the US and abroad. During the Vietnam war, Joan and her girls were stationed in Okinawa, Japan while her husband was deployed. She taught Sunday School and cared for her daughters with the help of her 2 Japanese maids, Kioko and Hatsuko. She had fond memories of one of the maids strapping her youngest daughter to her back as she did housework. After her divorce, Joan settled in Auburn, MA to be close to her younger sister, Shirley. Shirley, her husband Ray and their 2 daughters were great support for Joan and her girls through the years. Shirley made sure that family traditions were celebrated and new traditions were created. The families were together just about every weekend and all 4 girls grew up more like sisters than cousins. Shortly after settling in Auburn, Joan began her career in the male-dominated steel industry. She worked her way up from receptionist at Brown Wales to being one of the few female Purchasing Agents in the industry. She retired from Consolidated Fabricators in Auburn in 1999. Joan was an avid reader and music lover who played piano in her youth. She sang in the choir at Bethel Lutheran Church in Auburn where she was a longtime member. Upon retirement, Joan spent her days being a full- time Grandmother to Emily and Cameron. One of her favorite things to do was rocking Cameron to sleep while watching clouds pass over the skylight in his room. She also loved going on daily walks and would have Cameron point the way to their next adventure, even if it involved trespassing. The neighborhood children always came to play in the yard and knew they would be supplied with snacks. Joan became chauffeur to Emily and her friends, taking them to sports practice or the mall. Her grandchildren had her wrapped around their fingers and she loved them both with all her heart – she often said to her daughters and grandchildren that she “loved them more than the last number.” She would also say “fight nice” and “tempus fugit” when the shenanigans would get out of hand. In her later years, Joan battled Type I diabetes, lung cancer, and had 2 hip replacements. She contracted pneumonia in January of 2020 and was in and out of the hospital until her passing. It was heartbreaking for her and her daughters to be separated due to the COVID pandemic, so they were very grateful when she was able to come home to be cared for by her loving daughters in her last weeks. Her first priority and love was her family and she always put their needs before her own and showed her love every day. She was always supportive and was a great listener. She spoke daily with her old boyfriend from High School, Norman Poulin, and weekly with her friend Helen Jezersky and other close friends. She was a quiet person and would say the funniest things without knowing it – so many stories and memories! She made sure to say “I love you” every day and will be missed beyond what words can express. She was a kind and loving mother to her daughters, of whom she is survived by Robin K. (Bright) Briggs and her husband John of Oxford, and Wendy K. (Bright) Ryan and her husband Thomas of Sturbridge; along with the lights of her life, her two grandchildren, Emily Briggs of Worcester and Cameron Briggs of Oxford; her sister Shirley (Potter) Rondeau of Auburn; her nieces, Jeanne Potter, Heather (Potter) Dempsey, Jeanne (Rondeau) Cooper and her husband Robert and son Benjamin, Nancy (Rondeau) Murphy and her husband Tracy and their children Michael Murphy and his wife Katie and Taylor Brendlinger and her husband Michael: her nephew David Vogt and his wife Patricia, Adam Vogt and Andrew Vogt of Ohio. She was predeceased by her siblings Craig Potter and Joyce (Potter) Vogt. Her kind and gentle spirit will be missed by all. A private graveside service for the family will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 13th, 2020 in the Westridge Section of Hillside Cemetery, 65 Central Street in Auburn MA with proper social distancing measures taken. The BRITTON-WALLACE FUNERAL HOME, 91 Central Street, Auburn, MA is honored to be assisting with arrangements.