Joann M. May

HOLDEN/LEICESTER: JoAnn (Milburn) May, 101, a musician and long-time resident of Leicester and Holden, MA passed away on July 10, 2024, in Worcester.  Born on August 11, 1922, in Bristow, OK, she was the daughter of Henry G. and Fannie W. Milburn.  She graduated from Bristow High School in 1940 and later attended Oklahoma A and M College in Stillwater, OK. She inherited a love of music from her family. Her father sang and played the mandolin and trombone. Her Aunt Lola played the piano and her Uncle Mode played the guitar.  At age five her father bought her a piano for the living room, and she took 16 years of piano training under Verne Tomlinson, a local piano teacher in Bristow.  In 1939 she placed first in an Oklahoma State Music Educators piano competition in Stillwater, OK.  Representing Oklahoma, she later placed third in a national regional contest in Little Rock, AR. When a sophomore in high school, she became organist at the First Methodist Church of Bristow where her father sang in the choir. She later served as organist for the First Presbyterian Church of Bristow for several years. Although losing the complete use of her right ear to surgery at age 19, she was determined to make use of her remaining ear, although never hearing music in "stereo" again.  She continued as the pianist for the Lions and Rotary Clubs of Bristow and sang on weekly radio broadcasts on Station KTUL in Tulsa, OK.  In 1944 she married her husband of 65 years, Herbert S. May, Jr. of Great Neck, Long Island, NY.  In 1946 they moved to Leicester and in 1954 to Holden, MA.  She is survived by their three children: Samuel Judson May of Plano, TX, James Milburn May of Mililani, HI, and Nancy May Cote of Holden, MA.  She was also blessed with five grandchildren: Sarah Rosalia May, Alethea May Cote Dorgan and her wife Genny, Samuel Justin May, Laura Elizabeth May and Samuel John May.

After moving to Leicester in 1946, JoAnn began singing in the Leicester Congregational Church Choir.   In the 1950's – 1970's she was the organist for the First Baptist Church of Holden for 19 years and the Leicester Congregational Church for 25 years from 1978 to 2003.  She briefly served as a rehearsal piano accompanist for conductors of the Hartford and Detroit Symphony orchestras and was also a piano accompanist for a number of Worcester and Boston area voice teachers, including 11 years with Susan Clickner in Clark University's Music Department.  She also served as piano accompanist for the Worcester Community School of the Performing Arts, the Junior League Singers of Worcester, the Worcester Concert Choir, The Master Singers of Worcester for 17 years, of which she was a founding board member in 1976, and 12 years with the Worcester Chorus.  During this time, she had the honor of working with many gifted choral directors including Alfred Nash Patterson, John Adams and John Erlich.  She was a Board Member of the Alfred Nash Patterson Foundation for the Choral Arts.  She also played frequently for church and Christmas concerts in the Worcester area for many years.

JoAnn was a dedicated mother who regularly attended her sons' junior and senior high school band concerts and Little League games, and her granddaughter Alley's many soccer games.  She inspired her son Judson who played the trumpet, and her son James who played the trombone and later the guitar. She loved her grandson Justin and was proud of her granddaughter Sarah getting her law degree and grandson John as a mechanical engineer.  She frequently accompanied her daughter Nancy on the piano, as she directed the Chaffins Congregational Church Children's Choir in Holden from 1988 to 1995.

Playing music in church was one of the ways she shared her joy and love with her family and friends.  And there was always a piano in her living room.  Her children grew up in a home of Renaissance, Baroque and Classical music, often dancing gleefully to her version of Mozart's Turkish Rondo.  Her love of music is still heard today in the sounds of her granddaughters Alley Cote Dorgan and Laura E. May, whenever they sit at the piano.

Friends and relatives are invited to celebrate her life on Saturday, August 10 (11:00 AM) at the Leicester Unitarian Church, 5 Washburn Square, Leicester, MA., followed by a reception at the Leicester Congregational Church, next door. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that memorial contributions be made to the First Congregational Church of Leicester, the Leicester Unitarian Church, and/or the Leicester Historical Society for preservation of the Leicester home of Rev. Samuel May, Jr.  She will be laid to rest in a brief family service at Pine Grove Cemetery in Leicester. The MORIN FUNERAL HOME, 1131 Main St., Leicester is directing arrangements for the family.