Joan Dowd

I am a healthy, happy, eighty-three year old with ten children (nine living), grandmother to thirty-four and “Grammy the great” to thirty-one. I was born and raised in Salt Lake Valley, and graduated from Jordan High School. Married to my high school sweetheart for 21 years and blessed with five children. I was widowed at age 39 by the tragic and untimely passing of my husband (at 40 years old) to cancer. Two years later, I met and married a widower from Dallas, TX, who had also lost his wife to cancer and who had five sons. I have been a resident of the Lone Star State for 42 years.

I love people and helping others grow in confidence and purpose. I have dedicated many years to public speaking and service, both in my local community and around the world. One of the greatest joys of my life has been serving as a full-time missionary with my husband for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cambodia, Phnom Penh/Asia Area from 2016–2018. As Public Affairs Missionaries, we had the privilege of representing the Church to government officials, community leaders, and humanitarian organizations, while also supporting and participating in humanitarian projects that blessed countless lives. This experience deepened my testimony, strengthened my love for people, and taught me the power of compassion, communication, and service.

Through every season — joy and sorrow, family and service — I’ve felt God’s hand guiding me, and I hope my story encourages others to trust that same guidance in their own lives.