Joanne Anita Perkins Chambers

Joanne Anita Perkins Chambers, age 83, of Clifton Park, passed away peacefully on March 9, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, New York. Born on April 11, 1942, in Saratoga Springs, she was the daughter of the late Irving and Esther (Baker) Perkins of Stony Creek and later Hudson Falls. After graduating from Hudson Falls High School, Joanne earned an associate degree from Green Mountain College and a bachelor’s degree from Keuka College. She later completed a master’s degree in writing at the University at Albany.

A dedicated English teacher, Joanne taught at Queensbury High School, Schalmont High School, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, and for more than two decades at Shenendehowa High School. She founded the Writing Center at Shenendehowa and was a pioneer in integrating computers into writing instruction. Her commitment to her students, her emphasis on proper grammar and precise diction, and her professional excellence earned her multiple honors, including Teacher of the Year. She remained active in the American Association of University Women, the National Council of Teachers of English, and New York State United Teachers. After retiring from public education, she continued her work as a professor in the graduate school at Union College, mentoring future educators.

Joanne met her husband, James S. Chambers, through an introduction by his sister, Eve Chambers, a fellow teacher. They married in 1968 and shared a loving, joyful partnership for nearly six decades, celebrating each anniversary on Lake George. She was a voracious reader, a regular at local book clubs and bookstores, and an active member of the Shenendehowa United Methodist Church and its Sarah Circle, where her faith found expression through kindness, generosity, compassion, and music. She also helped establish a Special Legislative Tax District for the Shenendehowa Free Library Association and served multiple terms as a trustee.

She is survived by her beloved husband, James S. Chambers of Corinth; her son, Thomas A. Chambers, and his wife, Anne E. Ward, of New Orleans, Louisiana; her daughter, Jennifer A. Chambers, of Worcester, Vermont; her grandchildren, Theodore Chambers, Henry Chambers, and Violet Murphy; her sister, Amelia (the late John) Mayotte; her husband’s siblings, Eve Chambers and John Chambers; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.