Joan Haugaard

Joan Haugaard of Seabrook Island passed peacefully on April 15, surrounded by family and friends, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. She is survived by her husband Dan, sister Margaret Budge, sons Andre (Abbie) Paul (Debi) daughter in law Liz, eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by four siblings and her eldest son , Peer. Joan was born October 9, 1926 in London, England. She traveled Europe extensively and taught school in several countries. One of her proudest moments was rescuing a 9 year old girl from communist Czechoslovakia and arranging to get the child safely to Canada. In 1952 in Italy, she met and married artist Dan Haugaard, from Denmark. As entrepreneurs and adventurers, they continued traveling for some years with their three sons before settling in Northampton, Massachusetts. She and Dan there began importing Scandinavian furniture and founded Danco Furniture. Together they grew the family business. In 1986 the Haugaard’s established Danco Furniture in the Charleston area, where they chose to make their permanent residence. Joan was known to her friends as a humanitarian and avid supporter of the arts. During her retirement she volunteered for the Charleston Symphony through the Designer Home events. Her favorite past time was spending time with her family.