CONSIDINE, Joan A. of Port Jefferson Station on May 9, 2019. Beloved wife of the late Joseph. Devoted mother of Karen Szalay and her husband Robert, Brian and his wife Debbie, David and his wife Susan and Kathleen Eisner and her husband Eric. Cherished grandma of Rory Abbazio and his wife Lynette, Aiden, Michael, Alexandra Considine, Ryan Szalay, Nicole Considine, Briana Eisner, Joseph and great grandma of Troy Joseph Abbazio. Loving sister of John Mosior and his wife Dorothy. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 PM at O.B. Davis Funeral Homes, 4839 Nesconset Highway, Port Jefferson Station, New York. Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday 10:00 AM at the Chapel at St. Charles. Interment to follow in Calverton National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Joan may be made to The Wounded Warriors or St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
I say this with humility and with pride, but most of you know who I am… My grandmother, Joan, took every opportunity she could to show a photo (or several photos) of her grandchildren and great-grandchild, Troy, to anyone and everyone she met.
She would always have in her purse, delicately folded 8’11” pieces of paper, with pictures on them, of her grandchildren. These pictures were precisely folded and at the ready for all the Ushers and her friends to see at Sunday Mass – every week – she had no shame in showing them. She was proud of all of eight us:
• Aiden
• Michael
• Alex
• Ryan
• Nicole
• Briana
• Joey
For those that don’t know me, I am Rory; I am the oldest of eight grandchildren. I am separated by cousin Aiden by 6 years and my brother, Ryan by 12 years, so I have a bit of unique perspective. I am the son of Karen, who was Joan’s first of four children: Brian, David, and Kathi; also known as my uncles and aunt (and Godmother).
I know these family tree things are hard, even though we are quite adept with Ancestry.com, so I figured I would lay it out for everyone. Needless to say, we aren’t a small family, which brings me back to my Grandma Joan.
Joan, my grandma, was a woman of dedication, resilience, and love; she was also a great cook. My grandmother dedicated her life to her husband, my late Grandpa Joseph, who served in the US Army Special Forces and who fought in the Korean War. I remember when my Grandpa passed away, I had just graduated Ranger School. My grandfather’s passing, was a bit of a Catch-22; I was content knowing I was continuing to fulfill my family’s legacy in the military, but at the same time I was mourning the loss of my most exceptional mentor, my grandfather, Joseph Considine.
As Soldier and Ranger, who has been in combat, I can attest that the “military” life is hard on family life, but it’s especially hard on the spouses who have to “take care of the home front” while their husbands are off making the world a safer place. Joan was resilient and dedicated; she preserved through the adversity of raising multiple children while my Grandpa was serving in the military.
Joan dedicated her life to raising four beautiful children, who all lead fulfilled lives. And all who have healthy children, with bright futures. Joan’s happiness and joy were found in giving herself to making others happy.
As a person who has seen the many faces of death, the loss of life, is never easy, but let us not get consumed in the loss of life; remember who Joan was. She was a woman, a wife, a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother full of joy. So today, let us not forget all of the happiness that Joan, my grandma, brought into our lives. Let us put our differences aside, to connect with each other, and continue to thrive and love as a family; that is what my Grandma would have wanted.
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