Joanne McDermott

Joanne (née Richardson) McDermott, born on April 13, 1933, in St. Patrick’s Parish, Roxbury, Massachusetts, passed away on Tuesday, February 18th, 2025, she was 91 years old. She was the daughter of Daniel and Margaret (née Welby) Richardson. Her final moments were spent peacefully, surrounded by her family.

Joanne graduated as president of the class of 1950, from St. Patrick’s High School. Shortly after getting married in 1960, Joanne and her late husband, Steve, settled in Scituate, Massachusetts, where they raised their family. Known for her positive outlook and pleasant demeanor, Joanne was a woman of faith, enjoyed listening to classic jazz, reading, writing, and also had a passion for the history of the Irish and Boston. She was extremely proud of her own Boston Irish roots, was an avid Celtics fan, and told endless stories about her youth. She enjoyed a 25 year career at the Department of Defense, in South Boston, from which she retired in 1997. Not one to live idly, at 70 years of age, in 2003, Joanne accomplished a lifelong dream by earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, from the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

Among other activities, she and Steve, in retirement, traveled to France and Ireland, destinations only imagined by their younger selves. She enjoyed her life in Scituate, and later in Hingham, which included watching her granddaughters, taking walks along the beach, and volunteering at the local animal shelter. Her greatest joy was spending time with her children and grandchildren. “Jo” will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her children, Stephen and his wife Kathy McDermott, Sheila and her husband Colin Delaney, John McDermott, Christopher and his wife Amy McDermott, and Erin Servaes; along with her grandchildren, Tom and his wife Silvia Taylor of Brighton, England, Devin and Meghan Delaney, Sean and Brigid McDermott, and Caleigh and Aislinn Servaes. She also leaves her sisters in law, Martha McDermott Gaeta and Eileen McDermott, and many nieces and nephews in the Gaeta, McDermott, and Richardson families, whom she adored. Joanne was predeceased by her beloved husband of 51 years, Stephen McDermott, and her brothers, Michael, and Daniel “Buzzy” Richardson.

Friends and family are invited to pay their respects at Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home, 382 First Parish Road, Scituate on Friday February 28, 2025 from 8:30-9:30am, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10am at St. Mary of the Nativity Church, 1 Kent Street, Scituate. Burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joanne’s name may be given to the Autumn Hospice/Dream Foundation at autumnhospice.com, in Norwell, Massachusetts, or the Scituate Animal Shelter.