Joan Anne "Bhavana" "Bilqis Van Cleave

Joan Anne Van Cleave "Bhavana" "Bilqis" of Carbondale and formerly of Austin, Texas, was born December 14, 1952, in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts to Helen Lorraine Blaurock Van Cleave and Calvin Van Cleave. She moved to Austin, Texas with her parents and was raised there. She graduated from Reagan High School in 1970. A highlight of her high school years was a choral group trip to Europe. Music continued to be a major love of her life. She worked at the University of Texas at Austin in the Electrical Engineering Department. She was a member of the Siddha Yoga group in the 1970's and more recently, the Dayemi Tariqat, a Sufi organization, in Carbondale, IL. She spent her whole life devoted to God and doing spiritual work.Joan died peacefully on Sunday, July 12, 2015, after a long battle with cancer. She is survived by her mother, Helen Van Cleave of Georgetown, TX; sisters, Christine Attoun and Carole Albyn; three brothers, Calvin Lee Van Cleave, Stephen Donald Van Cleave, and Clifford Scott Van Cleave and many nieces and nephews.Graveside services for Joan Anne Van Cleave was held at 9:00 am, Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at the Dayempur Family Farm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to For Kids Sake, (an organization that supports orphanages and schools in Bangladesh) at 100 E. Jackson Street, Suite C, Carbondale, IL 62901 or online at www.forkidssake.net.