Joan Ellen Hirschfeld
July 18, 1955 – April 22, 2025

It is with great sadness I must relay that my good friend Joan Hirschfeld has died.

She was born in Los Angeles to Irving and Shirley Hirschfeld.

Joan was a very talented artist working largely in lithography. She had a number of shows locally in the late 1970s. She loved to sing and play guitar with a group of friends. She was also a voracious reader. I was lucky to have her share many books with me that she had enjoyed.

Joan graduated early at 16, from El Camino High School. She moved to Oakland and attended California College of Arts and Crafts.

She then moved to Quincy, California where she worked for the Forest Service.

From there, she moved to Humboldt County and began studying for her bachelor’s degree in Art at Humboldt State University (as it was then called). It was at this point she and I met and became friends. She worked for Matthews Picture Framing while studying for her degree in Art. That was a very good fit for an aspiring artist.

She moved to Altadena and worked for a catalog company there doing layout and design.

Joan returned to Humboldt County. She met Jay Dottle and they married. She was a stepmother to his two children, Jason and Heidi. Joan worked with Jay on building his construction business, doing design work, bookkeeping and management.

When that marriage dissolved, Joan created Abacus, a business helping others set up their businesses. She possessed great organizational skills. She would also help with designing logos and forms for these businesses. Eventually she decided to return to school.

She moved to Santa Barbara and attended Antioch College, completing her bachelor’s degree in both Art and Psychology, then went on to become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

She returned to Humboldt County and worked for Humboldt County Juvenile Hall and Making Headway, before opening her own private practice.

When first diagnosed with cancer in 2009, she regrettably had to close her private practice.

She was diagnosed with a second cancer in August of 2024. She spent many months in treatment at UCSF and passed away at Serenity House hospice in Santa Barbara with her family by her side.

She is survived by her sisters Meila and Lisa, and her niece Jessie.

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