Residence. Joan was born on April 6, 1933 in the Bronx, NY to John and Frances O’Connor. She met
William ‘Bill’ Hatch at a local candy store, and they married in 1952 after she had graduated from
Cathedral High School in Manhattan. She worked for a short time at Industrial Marine Products in
Manhattan before leaving to start a family.
Joan and Bill moved to Nanuet in 1964 where she remained a homemaker focused on raising their six
children. Joan most despised hearing other mothers in the neighborhood tell their children ‘wait till your
father gets home’ as she wanted her children to know she was the boss at home. She would encourage
her children to have their friends over to play in the backyard but that was to keep everyone under her
close eye, usually while ironing by a window. Joan was strict, but was always ready on a hot day to bring
out a pitcher of Kool-Aid and snacks just at the right time for the whole group.
Joan loved reading suspense novels with Mary Higgins Clark being one of her favorite authors. She also
enjoyed watching British television with her favorite shows included Ballykissangel and Doc Martin. She
would grudgingly watch Yankee games with Bill after he retired, but somewhere along the line become a
fan, looking forward to games after Bill’s passing in 2020.
Joan would write down quotes in the various notepads she always kept handy. The ones that probably
best capture Joan are ‘Being a mother is the biggest blessing of my life, and it comes with many crosses’
and ‘A mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child.’
She is survived by daughters, Maureen, Karen (Dennis) Fasulo, and Kristen; sons Thomas (Jeannie
Connolly), and Christopher (Denise); son-in-law Kevin Butrick, twelve grandchildren, eight great
grandchildren and many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins. Joan was preceded in death by her loving
husband Bill, daughters Frances and Barbara (Butrick), and brothers Richard and Edward.
A special thanks to the aides who cared for and befriended Joan, enabling her family to keep her at
home as her health declined over the past few years. While her body eventually failed her, her mind was
sharp to the end.
Family will receive friends on Thursday from 6-8pm at Higgins Funeral Home in New City, NY. Mass of Roman Catholic Burial will be held on Friday, 10am, at St. Anthony’s Church, Nanuet, followed by interment at St. Anthony’s Cemetery, Nanuet, NY.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Joan’s memory to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc
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