Joan Catherine Higgins

Joan was born on October 23,1932 to Matthew and Cecilia McGough in Belleville, New Jersey, and raised in Belleville along with her younger brother Robert F. After graduating from Belleville High School in 1950, Joan met Edward Benjamin on the Jersey shore, in the ocean as the story goes, and they eventually married and went on to have four children: Sharon Marie, Donna Lynn, Matthew Edward, and John Scott.

After the early death of Edward in 1964, and while raising four children as a single mom in Belleville, Vailsburg, and later in Rockaway and then Maplewood, Joan worked as a secretary in Essex County in such places as Bartlett Tree Experts, Rudolph Law Offices in South Orange, and her longest engagement, the Livingston Mall Management in Livingston, not too long after the mall opened in 1971. She was an integral part of management until 1982.

In 1973 Joan married Edward Higgins of South Orange and, after her children were grown, attended college and graduate school at Kean University earning an M.A. in psychology. This launched her second career, beginning in her early 50s, as a school psychologist. Joan was committed to her work, committed to helping children, and spent over 20 years in the Irvington, Peapack, Millburn, Maplewood school systems among others where her efforts were much admired.

Following her retirement she volunteered for years at Morristown Memorial Hospital and the Battered Women’s Shelter until she was diagnosed with dementia, which significantly impacted her daily life. Despite a courageous effort, and maintaining her wonderful sense of humor throughout, she eventually succumbed and died in the memory care unit at the Delaney of Bridgewater in Bridgewater.

Joan was very active, maintained and cherished many long-term friendships, and always had good things to say about people, a trademark of hers. She also delighted in many hobbies and was particularly fond of gardening, cooking, reading, playing tennis, sewing, going into the city with her pals to visit museums and watch theatre, and, of course, she loved being a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She is survived by three of her children: Sharon Benjamin, Donna Benjamin and Matthew Benjamin and spouse Wei Benjamin (John Scott, her youngest, passed in 2017); her grandchildren Dr. Briana Cox, Liam Tanelli, Luke Sweeny, Aron Bayreuther, Brittany Manning, Zach Tanelli, Evan Tanelli, Timothy Klesse; and her 11 great grandchildren.

It should be noted that Joan and her younger brother Robert McGough were very close. Robert preceded her death exactly two years to the day, passing on August 22, 2022 and Joan on August 22, 2024.

Services celebrating Joan’s life will be held at St. Brigid Catholic Church, 129 Main Street, Peapack, on Friday, August 30, at 11am, followed by interment at Gates of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, and a final repast at Revello,138 Eagle Rock Avenue, East Hanover.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that all donations be sent to The American Brain Foundation