Dr. Joan M. Maloney

Joan Maloney, 93, of Chatham, Massachusetts died peacefully on January 7, 2025 in Chatham, surrounded by family and her best friend, Carole DeChristopher. She was born May 7, 1931 in Washington D.C., the daughter of the late Michael Francis (Frank) Maloney and Arline Eldona (Smith) Maloney. She had one sister, the late Arlene Frances (Maloney) Newhouse.

Joan grew up in Washington D.C. She graduated from Immaculata High School in Washington D.C. She was known for pulling pranks that resulted in trips to the principal, who always called her dad because she made up excuses on why her mom couldn’t be called. She graduated from Trinity College in Washington D.C. and went on to earn a Ph. D from Georgetown University in 1961, majoring in history.

Joan had several interesting jobs but her passion was teaching. As a teenager, she worked in Washington D.C. for the National Park Service in the Ford Theater where President Lincoln was assassinated, for the FBI under Herbert Hoover, and advised the State Department on Chinese topics. She began her teaching career at a high school in Washington, DC then moved on to a high school in Towson, MD where she coached the women’s swim and basketball teams. She started teaching at the college level at Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. After a few years, she moved to Peabody and Salem MA to teach history at Salem State University, eventually becoming its history department chair. She recognized China’s impending threat early and studied Chinese history intensely, publishing a book on Communist China. She also published a book on Salem’s Normal School.

Joan was a devoted daughter. Every weekend she travelled from her home in Salem to her parents’ house in Chatham. In addition to caring for her elderly parents, she enjoyed maintaining the house. She re-shingled and painted the interior and exterior of the house whenever needed, and did many of the repairs and home improvements herself. Fiercely independent, she continued to do all the yard work until she was 92.

Although she retired in 1999, she continued doing historical research and taught on several historical topics. Her first research project was a book commissioned by the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank documenting its history. Several more projects followed. She especially enjoyed researching and publishing the stories of community members and their homes. She was particularly interested in the stories of women who contributed and achieved great things during periods when it was uncommon for women to do so. She taught numerous courses at the Eldredge Library and gave many talks and lectures to various community groups. As a former president of the Harwich Historical Society, she published three books on the Harwich area and curated numerous museum exhibitions for which she received high praise, including period-dressed actor presentations at the cemetery on Halloween and an exhibition on women veterans. Always a crusader, she was on the board of the Chatham Council on Aging. Joan was also active in the local Irish genealogy group.

She had a wonderful sense of humor and had many interests and hobbies. Her faith was strong. Joan attended daily mass and was a member of her parish prayer group. She was always a dog lover and had many faithful friends over her lifetime. Many of them were rescue dogs, and one of the rescue dogs was a therapy dog. At 92, she was still walking the dogs a mile twice a day and stopped to talk to everyone she saw. She was always genuinely interested in their stories. As a result, she was affectionately known as the neighborhood mayor. She loved all things Irish and particularly its music. She liked going to the theater, especially Broadway musical presentations. Her interests also included crossword puzzles, reading, puttering in the garden and yard, photography, kayaking, sailing, stamp collecting, jigsaw puzzles, building her Christmas village, and traveling in her younger days, including several trips to Ireland and China.

Joan is survived by 7 nieces and nephews: Catherine (Newhouse) Bennett of Green Ridge, MO; Mark Newhouse of Hopkinton, RI; Richard Newhouse of Monroe, NC, John Newhouse of Fort Mill, SC, Mary (Newhouse) Gellman of Snellville, GA, Joanne (Newhouse) Shoop of Green Ridge, MO and Patricia (Newhouse) Dionne of North Scituate, RI. She is pre-deceased by a nephew Robert Newhouse of Cranston, RI.

There will be a Memorial Visitation at the Nickerson Funeral Home, 87 Crowell Rd, Chatham MA 02633 on Monday, January 13, 2025 from 1-3 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in her memory to the Cape Cod Community College Foundation, which has a scholarship fund for single mothers pursuing nursing degrees. Donations can be made on line at ccccfoundation.org or by mail.