Joan Helen Vassari

On July 4, 2026, Joan Helen Vassari, loving wife and mother of three daughters, passed away at the age of 91. Joan was born on January 19, 1935 in Yonkers, NY to Henry and Helen Macior. On June 18, 1955 she married the love of her life, Fred Vassari. They were married for 66 wonderful years. Together, they raised three daughters: Helen (Greg) Githens of Lakewood Ranch, FL; Susan (Steven) Forsyth of Coral Springs, FL; and Ethel (Glenn) Pelletiere of Washington Township, NJ.

Joan enjoyed baking and was known by many for her pumpkin pies. Friends and neighbors would donate their pumpkins after Halloween and she would cook them up and make pies for everyone. She had the gift of hospitality and loved making cakes, cookies and pies for friends and family. Joan had other hobbies as well. She made creative candles for many years and had a basement full of power tools to make things out of wood. She also crocheted. Joan was known by her grandchildren as “Nintendo Grandma”. With her vast collection of video games, she could have opened a store. Instead, she spent long hours playing video games with her grandkids.

Joan loved God and served him for many years by teaching the Bible to children and then to a group of ladies at the weekly Bible Study Fellowship. She taught every book of the Bible at least once as her Bible is about 90% covered in yellow highlights.

Joan was preceded in death by her husband, Fred, her brother Ed Macior, her twin sister Barbara Dietrich and her parents, Henry and Helen Macior. She is survived by her daughters; seven grandchildren, Dustin, Tara, Dominic, Madison, Samantha, Steven and Olivia and four great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, July 22nd at Bayside Community Church’s Lakewood Ranch campus, 15800 SR 64 E in Bradenton. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to her favorite charity – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Joan’s parting words on the phone and in person when you said good bye and I love you…..her response was always “I love you more”.