Joan was loved by all who knew her and was known as a helping hand to anyone in need of support. Her life was an inspiring example of becoming a valued member of the Church and the communities where her family lived over the past 50 years.
Her family life began with her marriage to Harvey Dondero in 1974, and their move from Philadelphia to West Caldwell, New Jersey, where Joan and Harvey began their family with the birth of the first three of their four daughters: Elizabeth, Sarah, and Carolyn. Shortly after Carolyn’s birth, the family relocated to Australia, where Emily was born in
Mooroolbark, a suburb of Melbourne.
The family moved to Sydney in 1985 and returned to the United States in 1988, settling in Colts Neck, New Jersey. Additional moves saw the girls growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, before the family finally settled in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1995.
Joan never complained about the frequent relocations. She embraced each move with grace, quickly becoming involved in both community and Church life. Her daughters’ happiness was always her priority. Joan impressed every new community she joined with her willingness to lend a hand, her warmth, and her quiet generosity. Making friends came easily to her, and so did offering help, never for recognition but because she believed kindness was simply part of being human.
She is survived by her husband, Harvey; her daughters, Elizabeth of Durham, North Carolina; Sarah of Dana Point, California; Carolyn of Las Vegas, Nevada; and Emily of Mebane, North Carolina; her 13 beloved grandchildren; and her brother, Father Thomas Dailey, O.S.F.S of Allentown, Pennsylvania.
A memorial mass will be celebrated at 11 AM, August 21, 2025, at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Greensboro, NC followed by a reception in the Simmons Center.
Memorial contributions may be directed to Room at the Inn, 734 Park Lane, Greensboro, NC 27405.
