TOWN BANK – While her husband served in the U.S. military and often was assigned to different locations, one of the constants in Joan Koeck’s life was the Girl Scouts of America.
When Koeck’s Scouting journey began in 1951, inspired by her troop leader mother and Girl Scout sister, she never expected it would span 70 years, cross geographies and touch numerous lives.
She holds the record in the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey as the member with the longest tenure as an active Girl Scout. She was in the Scout program for 10 years before becoming a Lifetime Girl Scout who engaged in volunteering for an additional 60 years. She notified the Scouts this month of her retirement as a part-time treasurer.
She reflected on the changes over the years: How Scouting helped her make friends, and how she helped others.
“One of the first things I would do when we moved is pick up the phone and call the Girl Scouts,” said Koeck, who turns 81 on Jan. 31. “I knew they could always use help, and I knew that I could quickly find friends through the Scouts.
“It was always a good program; it still is. I always loved camping, and there was always something for you to be interested in. My goal was to help the girls have fun, learn about Scouting and enjoy things like camping.”
Koeck became a Brownie at a young age, earning many badges and developing and refining skills as a camper and leader.
When she graduated from eighth grade, she volunteered for the local ambulance corps, using those skills as a co-leader in high school on camping trips.
“I loved camping,” she said. “I remember one weekend we went camping and there was a murderer loose in the area. We had four to five leaders in the tent in front, and each of us put a knife in the ground nearby just in case something happened. If one of the girls had to go to the bathroom, they had to wake up one of the leaders. It was a crazy time.”
Koeck grew up in Florham Park, Morris County, and when she married her husband, George, in 1970, he was in the Navy and shipped out almost immediately. “I waited two weeks, and then I called the Girl Scouts,” she recalled. “They were a constant in my life.”
When her husband returned, they moved to Long Island, New York, and lived in military housing. “That’s where my son was born, and there was no way I was going to drive on the Cross Bronx Expressway to get everywhere,” she recalled about the highway known for congestion and poor road conditions. “Again, I called the Scouts and got involved, and made friends.”
Her husband left the Navy, but then joined the Coast Guard. “The Coast Guard promised us the East Coast, and our first assignment was three years in Memphis, Tennessee. It was there that my husband was in the hospital and Elvis came in and met him,” she said.
It was also in Memphis where her son and husband and a number of Girl Scouts got lost on a hiking trip. “Since he was in the Coast Guard, my husband had been trained in a variety of situations,” she said. “He had the girls turn off half their flashlights and walk close enough that they could touch each other. This way no one would get lost. We had the local park rangers searching for them for four or five hours, but eventually they found their way to a road and their way back to camp. It was quite an adventure.”
After Memphis, the family settled in Cape May County in 1979, where Koeck became a camping specialist at Camp Sacajawea, nicknamed Camp Sacy, fostering traditions that brought families together around campfires and crafts. She remembers her son going to three different kindergartens that year, in Memphis, northern New Jersey and then in Cape May.
It was also in Cape May that Koeck was an X-ray technician for 36 years, retiring in 2022.
“There were a lot of troops in Cape May, there still are,” she said. “It was an easy way to get to know people in the community, and they were always in desperate need of help.”
The family stayed in Cape May during her husband’s tenure with the Coast Guard, although he often was stationed elsewhere and would commute home weekends. He died in 2009.
Koeck’s skills in first aid and CPR helped her work with Lower Township staff to open an emergency shelter, which she managed for several years in the mid-1980s as part of her commitment to help others.
Contemplating the changes she’s observed over the years in Scouting, she said, “It’s an awesome program, but I’m not sure it’s as relevant as it used to be. Covid shut down some activities, and they never came back. Everything was impacted by Covid.
“I think people were friendlier to others before, and always willing to help each other, and I’m not sure how that is now. It was the greatest thing to know that every time I had to move, I could pick up the phone and get involved and make friends. My goal was to get the girls to have fun, learn about Scouting and enjoy camping, and I really tried to make that happen.”
The Scouts agree. “We are so grateful to have Joan in our council,” said Ginny Hill, chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey. “Her story is not just about personal milestones, but also highlights the impact of volunteers in empowering young women with courage, confidence and character.
“Joan’s commitment, supported by her husband, George, and her family, exemplifies how one person can make a profound difference in their community.
“She has given countless hours to the Girl Scouts and programming. We could not achieve what we do without volunteers like Joan.”
Contact the reporter, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.
