Joan LeSieur

Joan Edith Harris LeSieur
December 7, 1941 – October 7, 2026

Joan Edith Harris LeSieur, beloved wife, mother, sister, and friend, died on October 7, 2026, at the age of 84. She was born on December 7, 1941, in Los Angeles, California, to Edith Spencer Harris and Boyd Harris. Her arrival coincided with the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the hospital where she was born was placed under blackout because of fears of an attack on Los Angeles.

Joan was the third of six children: Dave, Patsy, Joan, Robert “Bob,” Betty, and Ronald “Ron.” When she was five years old, the Harris family returned to its Utah roots and settled in Provo, where Joan grew up and graduated from high school. She was also the mother of two children, Jean and John, and later married Benjamin Stanton LeSieur. Joan and Ben shared more than 50 years of marriage, spending their life together in their home in West Valley City, Utah.

Joan was independent, determined, hardworking, and fiercely loyal to the people she loved. She expressed her love not only in words but by showing up and doing things for others. She was a talented seamstress who made dresses for Jean when she was a child and later became an accomplished quilter. She was also an exceptionally organized person and an immaculate housekeeper, whom her family frequently recruited to help bring order to their own homes.

Joan had a long career in accounting, specializing in accounts payable and accounts receivable. While raising her family and working, she earned an associate’s degree in accounting. She placed great value on education and was immensely proud when Jean and John became the first generation of their family to earn bachelor’s degrees.

Joan and Ben shared a love of golf and spent many years playing together. They were also enthusiastic sports fans and enjoyed watching football, baseball, NASCAR, and golf. Staying active was important to both of them. In their early 60s, they trained for and completed a half-marathon together, and for many years, they were regulars at their local fitness center.

Family and friendship remained central throughout Joan’s life. She stayed close to the Harris family and enjoyed family reunions and camping trips throughout Utah, including trips to Lake Powell. She was especially close to her younger sister Betty, whom she described as one of her best friends. Joan also maintained a lifelong friendship with Barbara, whose family had known the Harris family since Joan’s childhood in California. Joan and Barbara shared adventures of their own, including camping and hiking trips to Zion National Park.

Through her marriage to Ben, Joan also became deeply connected to the LeSieur family. She was close to Ben’s mother, Bernie, and treasured the many years of Friday-night card games with Bernie and the family. She also had a close relationship with Ben’s sister, Annette, and her husband, Greg. Over the years, many Christmases and Thanksgivings were spent together at Annette and Greg’s home in Seattle.
Joan enjoyed traveling and especially treasured trips shared with family and friends. Among them were trips to Hawaii with Jean and Betty, to California and Yosemite with Ben and John, and numerous family camping trips.

At home, Joan loved working in her yard and garden. Each summer, she carefully tended her flowers, including the peonies growing along the backyard fence. Some of those peonies came from plants originally grown by her mother, Edith, and continue to bloom each spring—a fitting reminder of the family connections Joan valued throughout her life.

Joan will be remembered for her strength, determination, remarkable ability to get things done, and unwavering devotion to the people she loved. She was a woman who showed up, worked hard, and stood fiercely behind her family.

She is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Benjamin Stanton LeSieur; her daughter, Jean Spendlove, and her husband, Adam; and her son, John Spendlove of Sacramento, California.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Edith Spencer Harris and Boyd Harris; her brother Dave; her sister Patsy; and her sister Betty.

A visitation will be held on October 8, 2026, at 11:30 with a funeral and memorial to follow at 12pm at Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, 1007 South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, UT 84095. She will be laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 1342 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to Shriners Children’s Salt Lake City, Office of Philanthropy, 1275 East Fairfax Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84103.