Joanne Mary Walsh, of Madison, NJ, fell asleep in the Lord on Friday, August 12, 2011, at 3:16 pm.
Joanne was very proud of her Irish heritage.
She reveled in the Irish culture, and spent several exhilarating vacations
in Ireland on several occasions during her lifetime.
Born on April 1st, 1953 in Brooklyn, NY, Joanne was a graduate of Morris Catholic HS in Denville, NJ, class of 1971. She graduated the County College of Morris, in 1979, and earned her Bachelor's degree in Accounting from St. Elizabeth's College in Madison, NJ, in 1987.
Joanne was employed at Montclair State University for the past 23 years, as the Position Control Analyst in the Human Resources Department. Joanne was a very active member of her church, St. Rose of Lima in E. Hanover, NJ, serving as a Eucharistic Minister and Sunday School Teacher. She was a longtime advocate for the needy, the homeless, and especially our Soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Joanne also opened her home to many under privileged people from Central American countries.
Joanne donated most of her take-home pay to a large number of charities. She wouldn't just give them ten dollars. She'd give them $1,000! She took out a loan on her life insurance policy, to donate to the poor!!!
Joanne adopted several platoons of soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and would talk to them almost daily, via the internet. She would send them much needed supplies, and even their favorite games to help pass the time.
From October, 2009 to April, 2011, alone, Joanne had mailed at least 357 packages to her adopted Army platoons overseas (the shipping, alone, averaged $50 for each package). That equates to a package every other day, for two and a half years!!! She would send the soldiers much needed supplies that they do not get from the military, such as gun cleaners, microwave meals, flavored coffee, socks, snacks and candies, spam, Slim-Jims, noodles and spaghetti sauce, and reminders of home, including sterling silver Miraculous Medals, for each of the soldiers. When a Lieutenant told her that they had built a chapel in Iraq, but it needed some curtains, Joanne asked, "How many do you need?" He said, "22". The curtains, rods, and hardware were on their way within the week!
Joanne suffered from the effects of inoperable pancreatic cancer, which had spread to all parts of her body. But, she was in the loving care of her family, every day, until the end. During that time, countless visitors, present and former co-workers, close friends, and relatives, and clergy all came to her to thank her for all that she had done for them in their lives. She was able to share some very special moments with all of them. At Montclair University, she served as a mentor to so many students at the University. Joanne would train them in their internship jobs, helping in the Human Resources office.
Joanne was the eldest of eight siblings. She is pre-deceased by her mother, Margaret Walsh (1986), and is survived by her father William K. Walsh from Denville, NJ (currently living in Southport, NC), and her siblings, sister Linda Hogan, of Parsippany, and her children, Melinda (Hogan) Storicks and husband Ken, grand-nieces Alexis and Bailey Storicks, grand nephews Mason and Ethan Storicks, nephew Frankie, niece Sarah (Hogan) Wielhouwer and husband Robert, grand niece Ashley and grand nephew Joshua, and niece Eileen (Hogan) Bayer and her husband Jared of Pocono Summit, PA., brother Ken and wife Irene, of Randolph, NJ and their children Melanie, Jennifer, and Daniel, sister Patricia Berg and husband Magnus, of Garner, NC and their children Krista and Kailee, brother Kevin, sister Mary Covert and husband Bill Covert, Jr. of Denville, NJ and their children Meghan, Shannon, Ryan, and Caitlin, brother Greg and wife Suzanne, of Navasota, TX and their children Casey and Cordell, and sister Kerry, of NC.
She is the Godmother of brother Greg, nephew Frankie, and best friend Lisa McConagly's son Sean.
In lieu of flowers donations to the St. Rose of Lima School Scholarship
Fund in memory of Joanne, or an online donation to
www.woundedwarriorproject.org would be appreciated.
