Joan R. Mashaw

Funeral services for Joan R. Mashaw, age 81, will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, December 15, 2025 at the Fox & Murray Funeral Home. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Entombment will follow at the Oswegatchie Mausoleum.

Joan passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

Joan will be lovingly remembered by her children: Lori Pearson and her companion Nick Carrow of Saranac; Mark and Nancy (Wilson) Mashaw of Ogdensburg; and Tammy Mashaw and her companion Scott Benson, also of Ogdensburg. She was a proud and devoted grandmother to Kyle Mashaw, Justin (Jenna) Pearson, Zachary Mashaw and his fiance Alyson Felt, April (Connor) Hammond, Grace Mashaw and her companion Rick “Bunk” White, and Claire Bush and her companion Josh Adams. Her joy extended to her great-grandchildren: Kaylee and Brooke Pearson, Story Hammond, Owyn Mashaw, and Dawson, Mally, Janna, and Rhylie Mashaw. She is also survived by her sister, Ann Moscati of Long Island.

Born Joan Ruth Jenkins on November 26, 1944, in Potsdam, NY to Lloyd and Ruth (Raymo) Jenkins. The family resided in Norwood until 1955 when the family moved to Ogdensburg to operate the former Travelers Motel, currently the Moose Lodge, where she lived until she married Terry Charles Mashaw in 1963. She immediately entered the workforce after graduating from Ogdensburg Free Academy in 1961 to work at ACCO as a secretary. She left the workforce in 1965 to stay at home and raise her children. In 1983 she returned to the workforce to be employed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg as a receptionist at St. Mary’s Rectory. She then moved on, spending many years in her most beloved position as a Librarian Assistant at Wadhams Hall Seminary until it closed. At that time she transferred to a receptionist position at St. John’s Rectory in Morristown, NY until she retired in 2007.

Joan dedicated her life to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her pets. She enjoyed music and dancing, summer garage sales and Christmas shopping. She spent many hours enjoying books, movies, jigsaw puzzles, and card games. She loved nature and spent her childhood at her parents hunting camp in St. Regis Falls, took her children tent camping in Cranberry Lake when they were young, and later in life spent hours on the dock at her son and daughter-in-law’s camp on the St. Lawrence River watching her grandchildren swim. Most of all, she loved Christmas and made every Christmas the best day ever for her family, from the decorations, to making cookies, to singing Christmas carols, and wrapping all the presents.

Those who knew Joan will remember her gentle spirit, her sense of fun, and the warmth and kindness she shared so freely. Her presence was a blessing to many, and she leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter, and treasured memories.

Memorial contributions may be made in Joan’s honor to Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley, US Hwy 11, Potsdam, NY 13676.

Condolences and fond memories may be shared online at the FoxandMurrayFuneralHome.com

Joan will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who loved her.