Joane S. Molenock

Joane S. Molenock, of Ithaca, NY, died on Nov. 11th at the age of 88.  Joane was the daughter of Andrew and Jane Molenock, both recent immigrants from Czechoslovakia. Her mother operated a beauty shop and her father was a farmer and general craftsman, so Joane was the first to have an advanced education. She graduated from Penn State and obtained advanced degrees at Hunter College, Texas A and M, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she received her Ph. D. and met  Daniel Karig, who she would later marry. She accepted the role of stepmother to Dan’s son, Peter, and willingly undertook the tasks necessary for his well-being. Dan and Peter survive her.

Joane’s research on crab behavior revealed her remarkable ability to keep organisms alive and healthy. This was also apparent in her subsequent success at
cultivating orchids, an activity which evolved into a thriving business. Her green thumbed ability led to her hybridizing Tolumnias, a difficult to grow but beautiful species, resulting in many awards and leading to her becoming an international expert in her field. She was an active member of the Master Gardeners  and Growline at the Tompkins County Cooperative Extension and also in Auraca, the Cornell herbal group.

Joane traveled widely, mostly with Dan during his research related work. Places she visited ranged from Czechoslovakia, her ancestral homeland, and much of western Europe, to China, Indonesia and elsewhere in the Far East. Although she wasn’t extremely athletic, she SCUBA dived in the Caribbean, paddled and raced canoes with Dan in the Adirondacks and cross country skied with him all over the ski world. Joane was a spectacular knitter, creating a number of Icelandic sweaters among other garments. She continued to be very active, even after Parkinson’s disease struck her but after dementia appeared her life rapidly deteriorated and she spent her last months with assisted living at Bridges, Cornell Heights.

A memorial for Joane will be held at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Ithaca on Sunday, December 8th at 2 PM.