Born February 11, 1935 in Boston, MA, she was the daughter of Mary and Aloysius Kelly of Malden, MA. Joan is predeceased by her husband John and her brothers Carl and Bobby.
Joan shared 62 years of marriage with her recently deceased husband and love of her life “J&S”. She is survived by her four children and their spouses, Sean and Wendy Spillane of Swampscott, Paul and Carol Spillane of Marblehead, Beth and Sean Dempsey of Marblehead, and Steve and Mimi Spillane of Swampscott.
Joan is survived by her eight grandchildren, Meghan and Molly Spillane, Katie Donahue and Danny Spillane, Gillian and Ryan Dempsey, and Matthew and Christy Spillane.
Joan was a devoted wife to J&S, a doting mother to her four children and eight grandchildren, and a friend to all who knew her.
Affectionately known as “Joanie” she was an avid gardener and member of the Marblehead Arrangers for many years. She loved people and engaging with them in any way. She thrived while working for local establishments H.E. Piper, O’rama’s, and C’est la Vie.
Joan was a lifelong communicant of Star of the Sea Parish for over 60 years and the strength of her faith was a comfort in the final years of her life.
We would like to give a special thank you to All Care Visiting Nurses and Hospice of Lynn. As care providers to our mother you enhanced her quality of life over the final weeks and days of her life. As a family we are eternally thankful for your love, care and support. We especially thank Jo Mary for her kindness and compassion guiding us through this process. We thank the All Care staff of schedulers/nurses/PT/OT for their compassionate care and attention to our mother’s needs over the past year who made home visits including Ana, Beatrice, Lisa, and Lyna. We thank the hospice nurse Mary who guided us with compassion through her final days.
Our heartfelt thank you to our angel Nancy Cronin of Helping Hands Home Care. Our mother had a special friendship with Nancy for over a year. She called her “Nancy the Great’.
A mass of Christian burial will be held on Monday, December 16, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. at the Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, 85 Atlantic Ave., Marblehead. Visitation will be held at Eustis & Cornell of Marblehead, 142 Elm St., prior to the mass from 9 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Joan's name to the American Heart Association, 300 5th Ave, Waltham, MA 02451 or via heart.org. To share a memory or leave online condolences please visit eustisandcornellfuneralhome.com.
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