Joan Gough Frost, Women Airforce Service Pilots, Class 44-W-8, took her final flight on Labor Day, September 3, 2012 in Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. Joan was a fabulously fun and loving mother, grandmother and beloved wife of the late John L. Frost.
Joan was born on October 1, 1924 in New York City; her family moved to Atlantic Beach, Long Island when she was five years old. Even at that early age, she was captivated by the concept of flight:
“As I sat in the sand at the beach, I watched the seagulls, how they spread their wings and rode the air currents, and their landings on the water… I started thinking how wonderful it would be up there with them in the sky looking down on Mother Earth and feeling the freedom of flight.”
Joan was fifteen when she started to fly and after high school she went to Hofstra College to complete ground school requirements. At the age of 18 she was accepted into 44-W-7 along with her friends Mimi Keir and Bonnie Dorsey. Ironically, all three friends ended up in 44-W-8. Upon graduation from Army Air Forces Flight training at Avenger Field, Joan was stationed at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, Texas, where she flight tested and ferried airplanes.
When the WASP disbanded, Joan continued to transport small airplanes that were being bought and sold after the war. During that time, "My friend and flying buddy, Scotty Bradley, came home with me and never left. She met my brother who had just come back from the Pacific and they were married. That left me without my flying buddy.”
In the years that followed, Joan taught ballroom dancing at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, and worked as an Account Executive at Rubin H Donnelly Company. She married the love of her life, John L "Jack" Frost and they raised their family in Pennsylvania., Joan continued to be heavily involved with the WASPs during the 1970’s as they lobbyed Congress for recognition. In addition, Joan worked tirelessly for a number of charities and and proudly received The Boy Scout Award from President Ronald Reagan.
Her three children survive Joan: Lee-Ann, Stephen and Ginny. Grandchildren: John, Daniel, Christopher and Michaela Frost, Meredith and Maddie Frost, and Jack, Carina and Brenna Corry. Joan is also survived by her sister, Patricia Gough, and her sister-in-law, Scotty Gough, who resides in Maryland with daughters Connie and Joan Gough.
The words of Barbara Shaw Jameson capture Joan's spirit:
Capture a sunset,
Ride with the wind
Taste Freedom
only the eagle has known
For yours is the freedom
of knowing
you have flown.
________________
respectfully posted as written by Joan's daughter, Lee-Ann
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