Joan Lucille (Farnsley) Tribble

Tribble, Joan Lucille (Farnsley) died in Louisville, KY, after a brief hospitalization, on December 18, 2022 at the age of 94. She was born in New Albany, IN, on October 8, 1928, to William Newland and Elsie (Raake) Farnsley. She graduated from the New Albany Public Schools and was the first in her family to attend college. She earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Louisville. It was during her freshman year at UL that she would meet her future husband, Robert Samuel Tribble. They were married for almost 58 years until his death in 2008. As all who knew her can attest, Joan was a brilliant woman and needed the intellectual stimulation of books, research, innovation, and academia. Joan married in 1950, had three children, and, as the norm in the sixties, was a homemaker and Cub Scout Den Mother. Once her youngest child entered school she pursued her Masters while also raising her family, not an easy feat. She couldn’t have done it without the loving support of her husband who was always proud of her many accomplishments. As a result, she had a 20 year career at Jefferson Community College, part of the UK system, where she was an Associate Professor and taught English composition, literature, and English as a Second Language. During Joan’s long teaching career she was always on the cutting edge of developing new teaching methods and computer tools (these at a time when most people didn’t have a computer). With the large influx of foreign students, she recognized their unique needs and developed an entirely new curriculum, testing, and computer programs in the emerging area of English as a Second Language. She fought hard for the implementation of this program at JCC and it has grown, and flourishes to this day, due to her early efforts. Being on the leading edge of this movement, she was highly sought after to speak at numerous Regional and National conferences and published several journal articles. By the late 1960’s the fight for women’s rights was gaining momentum. In 1970, Joan participated in the first Women’s Strike for Equality. On this day, women across America protested in a variety of ways. Her protest was to step away from any domestic duties on this day. Her husband, always supportive of her professional and equal rights efforts, took over the running of the family and household on this day, unusual for a man of his generation. After her retirement in 1988 and always the intellectual, she began researching the genealogy of the Tribble and Farnsley families. Her research documented that both families had direct ancestors living in Kentucky before 1800. This information allowed the Tribbles and Farnsleys membership in the Society of Kentucky Pioneers. Her encyclopedic, genealogy book, The Farnsleys of Kentuckiana, was published in 1999 and is currently housed in The Library of Congress and major genealogical libraries across the US. Bob and Joan travelled to all 50 states as well as international destinations. She was climbing the ruins of Machu Picchu and tromping in the Amazon Rainforest when she was 78! Ever the strong independent woman, Joan was able to live independently and had all her mental capabilities until the end. For this, her family is eternally grateful. She is survived by her three children: Robert Samuel Tribble Jr. (Jacquie), David Michael Tribble (Cindy), all of Louisville, KY, and Linda Joyce Tribble (Britt Lindstrom), Bryson City, NC, her 4 grand children, 8 great grandchildren, sister-in-law, and numerous nieces and nephews on both sides of the family. She was predeceased by her husband, Robert Samuel Tribble, and her brother, William M. Farnsley. Owen Funeral Home-Jeffersontown is handling her cremation and a private, family memorial will be held at a later date. To honor Joan’s legacy, donations can be made to Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing, Louisville, KY. info@riverside-landing.org

Joan Lucille (Farnsley) Tribble

October 8, 1928 - December 18, 2022