Joy Carter Luke, a longtime resident of New Canaan, Conn., and West Chop, died peacefully on Jan. 5 surrounded by her loving family. She was 91.

Joy will be remembered as a fun-loving, gracious, generous and compassionate person who was a lifelong learner. She was always interested in and deeply cared about her many friends, new and old, and her extensive family — the youngest members of whom loved to share their stories and pronouncements in order to hear her joyful response: “That’s simply divine, dearie!”

She was born Oct. 11, 1927, in New York city, one of four daughters of the late Rachel and Herbert Carter. She spent much of her childhood in Hawthorne, N.Y., where her father was headmaster of The Harvey School. She was a graduate of Milton Academy and attended Briarcliff College.

In 1946 she married her childhood sweetheart John A. Luke. They celebrated 60 years of marriage shortly before John died in 2007. Married at 19 and 21, respectively, Joy and John were true partners, starting with their early years while John was at Yale University, and continuing as John’s career took them to Charleston, S.C., Luke, Md., and Bedford, N.Y, before moving to New Canaan. They raised four children, one of whom, the late Jane Murphy of Fairfield, Conn., predeceased them.

Joy was a devoted member of the Episcopal Church. While living in New Canaan, she returned to school and earned a master’s of divinity from Yale Divinity School. She was an active member of St. Mark’s Church, where she served on the vestry, was a lay eucharistic minister, was involved in lay pastoral care, sang in the choir for 25 years, and was a regular volunteer in the church store.

She was actively engaged in the New Canaan community. She was a founding member of Staying Put in New Canaan, an active member of the New Canaan Sewing Group and a member of the Country Club of New Canaan. She was also devoted to the Mink Meadows and West Chop communities on the Vineyard where she spent every summer of her life.

She is survived by her three sisters: Ann Carter and Susan Harris, both of Westwood, and Hope Sperry of North Branford, Conn.; her son John A. Luke Jr., daughter Hope L. Hetherington and son William Luke; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

Contributions in her memory can be made to the Waveny LifeCare Center, 3 Farm Rd, New Canaan, Conn., 06840.

For online condolences, visit hoytfuneralhome.com