May 28, 1960 – June 27, 2020
Salisbury Mills, NY
JoAnn “JoJo” Elizabeth Kennedy Curry
JoAnn “JoJo” Elizabeth Kennedy Curry passed away Saturday, June 27, at her home in Salisbury Mills after a valiant fight against a rare and relentless form of cancer. She was 60.
JoAnn was born May 28, 1960, to Michael Joseph “Joe” Kennedy and Nancy Henry Kennedy in Cornwall, NY.
A retired bank examiner and supervisor for the New York State Department of Finance, and before that a toll collector on the New York State Thruway, JoAnn was known as a straight-shooter without equal – a quality that made her well-loved and occasionally feared by her extensive family and many friends. Above all else, JoAnn was the proud mother of Sean and Shannon, who were the center of her universe and her greatest source of joy, as well as her companions for many evenings of popcorn, movies and board games.
Whether accompanied by family or friends, JoAnn enjoyed travel – from Alaska to Italy to Disney and beyond. She also loved crafting, flower arranging, reading and pets, including the family dog Gus, and Copper before him. JoAnn was no stranger to community service. She served as a member of the Friends of Moffat Library, took active roles in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, volunteered on numerous committees at Washingtonville High School and ran the occasional 5K for a charitable cause. She was a founding member of the Bitch and Wine Book Club and an avid bird watcher. In her earlier days, Jo dabbled in community musical theater at the Bethlehem Summer Music Festival, with memorable roles in The Music Man, Meet Me in St. Louis and other shows.
JoAnn received her elementary education at St. Thomas of Canterbury School in Cornwall-on-Hudson, then went on to graduate from Cornwall Central High School, where she excelled as a student and athlete, notably in soccer. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the State University of New York at New Paltz.
In addition to her children and her many close friends, JoAnn leaves behind her beloved father, sisters and brother and their families: Sharon and Paul Satkowski of Salisbury Mills; Barbara and Kevin Gref of Jeffersonville; Michael Kennedy of Salisbury Mills; Lori Kennedy Faurot and David Faurot of Salisbury Mills. She is also survived by her cherished nieces and nephews: Justin and Regina Satkowski, Jonathan and Heather Satkowski; Emily Gref; Anna Gref and Carlos Gonzalez; Joseph Gref; and Hailey Faurot. Especially dear to her were her great nieces and nephews: Harper Satkowski, Nolan Satkowski and Colby Gonzalez. JoAnn also leaves behind her aunts Beth Henry and Louise Kennedy and a sizeable family of cousins, all of whom she treasured. JoAnn was predeceased by her loving mother, Nancy Elizabeth Kennedy.
The family would like to thank the steadfast effort made by Dr. Ping Gu and his team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to identify and treat the cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) that eventually took JoAnn’s life.
Donations in honor of JoAnn may be directed to Friends of the Moffat Library, c/o the Moffat Library, 6 West Main Street, Washingtonville, NY 10992, or to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (giving.mskcc.org)
JoAnn’s ashes will be interred at the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church Cemetery in a private service. A gathering to celebrate her life and to tell JoJo stories of all kinds will be held on a date to be determined. Those who wish to be notified about the gathering should provide their contact information at tiny.cc/rememberjojo
Arrangements were entrusted to the care of the David T. Ferguson Funeral Home, 20 North St, Washingtonville, NY 10992, 845-496-9106.
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