Joan Beth Vicari, 69, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, passed unexpectedly on Monday, October 19, 2026.
Joan was the wife of the late William “Bill” Fulton. She is survived by her daughter, Laura Fulton Hart (Tyler Hart), grandson Calvin, and siblings Suzanne Hessenthaler and Pete Vicari.
Raised in Warminster, Pennsylvania, Joan graduated from William Tennent High School in 1975. She earned her Bachelor’s in Education from Clarion University and her Master’s in Library and Information Science from Rutgers University, which included a semester abroad at the University of Valencia in Spain. Early in her career, she taught at Fair Lawn High School and worked as a researcher at AT&T’s world headquarters during the early days of personal computing.
In 1983, Joan made her home at the Jersey Shore and became Ocean City High School’s first librarian, building the library from scratch — the first school library in South Jersey, and only the second in the state, with a computerized catalog and circulation system. Over her 36-year career, she prided herself on teaching and mentorship, and she received the 2018 New Jersey Association of School Librarians’ Outstanding Library Media Specialist Award before retiring in 2019.
Joan was deeply active in her community. She was a lifetime Girl Scout who took the spirit of exploring and earning unofficial badges seriously. She promoted outreach through the Central United Methodist Women’s Circle, championed education for girls through the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Atlantic County and Cape May County groups, led local book clubs and a bible study group, helped coordinate author events, and volunteered with local wildlife conservation, saving sea turtles and tagging monarch butterflies. An avid traveler, she visited 42 states and five continents, and lived by a strict rule for state counting: airports do not count. She celebrated her birthday as a birth month, chased sunsets wherever she went, photographed it all and shared the pictures with everyone back home, and adored Broadway shows — she kept hundreds of playbills. Her most recent joy was becoming a grandmother to Calvin, proudly getting him his very first library card.
A funeral service will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 10:00 AM at Central United Methodist Church, 5 Central Ave, Linwood, NJ 08221. Friends and family are invited to attend a viewing at the church prior to the service from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Joan Beth Vicari to the AAUW Cape May County Vicari Scholarship Fund (capemay-nj.aauw.net) — checks payable to AWCO, memo line “Vicari Scholarship,” mailed to Lynn Caterson at P.O. Box 1492, Absecon, NJ 08201 — or to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (mmsc.org).
We will remember Joan by her favorite quotes: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” — Philippians 4:13; and “If there is a will, there is a way!”
