Churchill, Joan Dec. 6, 1939 Dec. 31, 2019 Joan Churchill, Ph.D. died on December 31, 2019 in her home in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota after being diagnosed with a return of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She was a long-time resident of Manor Home of Lowry Hill in Minneapolis. In her personal life, she was very involved with family, and with friends from her golfing and townhouse communities. She cherished these connections. Additionally, she enjoyed helping to keep the common grounds of her townhouse community healthy and beautiful. As a professional, Joan was an outstanding psychologist and an important contributor to the field of innovation research and development. Joan was born in Duluth, and grew up in Cloquet, Minnesota with her mother, father, who was Superintendent of schools, and her two sisters, Sue and Gwen. In high school she was active in speech/debate and was an avid trumpet player. Her passion for golf started early and continued throughout her life. Even as a teen, she played in statewide women's golf tournaments and won trophies. Joan attended Stephen's College in Columbia, Missouri where her leadership and speaking skills were quickly recognized and she was elected class president. She went on to complete her Bachelor's and Doctorate degrees at the University of Minnesota. During her career, Joan wore many hats: teacher, school counselor, private practice psychologist, sports psychology pioneer, and consultant with 3M and MIT. In her work as a sports psychologist, Joan excelled at teaching golfers and other athletes how to improve their performance by improving the mental aspect of their game. In her work with MIT and 3M, she was a key participant, along with Mary Sonnack at 3M and Eric von Hippel at MIT, in developing and then teaching "lead user" innovation development processes. These novel processes, encapsulated in a training manual and training videos produced by Joan, are increasingly used worldwide to train scientists, engineers, and leaders of industry how to develop new products more effectively. As an adult, Joan was always accompanied by a beloved four-legged friend. She had a love of family and friends and visited her two sisters frequently. Reading, gardening, learning and attending movies were all favorite past times. Joan leaves behind her niece, Jennifer, her great-niece, Abby, her dear friend, Mary, and her beloved dog, Cash. She also leaves behind many dear friends including her Birthday Club. Joan enriched so many lives with her presence and expertise. She is dearly missed. At Joan's request, there will be no memorial service. If you wish to remember her in some way please make a donation to the Humane Society.