Joan H. (Hudson) Brenner

Joan H. (Hudson) Brenner, of Reading, passed away peacefully on Monday March 2, 2026 at home with her family by her side. She was 85 years of age.

Born in Arlington, MA, to Bertha Hillyard Hudson and James R. Hudson, Joan grew up loving animals and nature and learning about how things worked, famously taking apart the family car one winter (putting it back together in time to drive in spring.) She attended Simmons University for her undergraduate degree, enjoying visiting the nearby flower filled courtyards of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum whenever she could. She and her husband Jeff bonded over their love of physics and the cosmos, and were married in 1964. Joan excelled at science at a time when women physicists were a rarity, and completed a Master's degree in Physics at Boston University and a PhD ABD at Tufts University.

Joan was an Associate Professor at State College of Boston, and subsequently a tenured professor at Bunker Hill Community College for over thirty years until her retirement. She loved being a professor. She would do everything she could, explaining concepts in ten different ways, to ensure her students excelled. During her time at Bunker Hill, she was proudest of co-directing the Honors Program with Luke Salisbury, the Beyond the Syllabus program for students, and having the honor of teaching and learning from her students from around the world.

Paired with her love of science, she also had a creative side. She loved to cook, especially learning new cuisines and finding new flavors to try, and she was a sewist who made clothing and costumes (complete with wagging cat tails) for her daughters throughout their childhoods. She passed on her love of crafts and cuisine to her daughters and granddaughter. She was never without a cat in her lap if a feline friend was around, and doted on the many Brenner household cats over the years.

She was perpetually curious, had a dry wit, and was a dedicated, caring mother and spouse. Her husband Jeff notes that after sixty one years of marriage, he can’t imagine having a better life together and has zero regrets.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, John (also known as Jeff); her daughter Crystal (Guistinello) and her son-in-law Tony Guistinello, her daughter Robin; her granddaughter Lilianna and her step-grandson Anthony.

The family would like to thank and recognize Arlene Plant, Janet Ndiritu, Christine Ndiritu, and Catherine Naluryange for their loving and dedicated care for Joan over the last nine years.

Family and friends are kindly invited to gather and share memories with her family on Saturday March 14th, 2026 in the Barile Cota Family Funeral Home 335 Park St. North Reading from 10 am to 1 pm. Parking attendants will be available.

The family requests donations in lieu of flowers in memory of Joan to the Alzheimer's Association by visiting www.alz.org