Joan Audrey Cornelia Blank Fitzgerald left us to enter eternal life on Monday, July 10, 2023.
Born at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, N.J .in 1926, Joan led a remarkable and satisfying life full of true variety.
As a child of the Depression, she experienced the hardship of financial stress. As a young woman, she felt the fear of WWII and the need to join the workforce early. As a smart woman, she was the first in her family to earn a college degree. As a married woman, she delighted in being a devoted mother. And as an unforgettable teacher, she touched the lives of likely over a thousand children who hit the goldmine when they were assigned to her classroom.
Joan spent summers in Ocean Grove, N.J., working alongside her aunts and cousins at her uncle's sandwich shop. She often recalled the day WWII ended when all the stores closed their doors and the dancing in the streets lasted till midnight. She married the love of her life, Leo William Jr, in 1949. Leo was in the US Navy, assigned to Guam and tried to convince her to an early marriage so she could live with him there in his island tent, but that did not go over too well. Instead, they had the traditional church wedding after the war in the church next to the classroom where they met in 6th Grade, St Andrew Avelino in Flushing, N.Y.
After receiving her Education Degree from Fordham University, Joan taught in the NYC School System, moving to a new house in East Brunswick, N.J. in 1956. There she and her husband, Leo Jr. cultivated an enormous organic garden, added a built-in pool, and designed an addition to expand the house for the growing family of 5 children.
East Brunswick was undeveloped at that time, farms were everywhere, Rte. 18 was a two-lane road, and the biggest event was the Middlesex County Fair where their vegetables won prizes every year. She and Leo were among the core group who went door to door to gather interest and solicit donations to fund the construction of a new Catholic Parish in East Brunswick which would be called St Bartholomew's Church and School.
As a St. Bartholomew School educator, Joan's reputation as an outstanding teacher made being assigned to her third grade classroom like winning a prize. She had incredible insight to identify something positive about every child and could entice even the most uncooperative student to find joy in learning.
Called "the butterfly lady," she was the first to buy classroom Monarch chrysalises for hands-on science, releasing them to the cheers of many.
Retiring after 35 years, she had the freedom to travel to a myriad of destinations, including Ireland, Alaska, the Florida Keys, the National Parks, Vail, CO, Deer Valley, UT, cruised the Hawaiian Islands, Grand Cayman, Nova Scotia, Montauk, spent winters in Sarasota, and made a lengthy religious pilgrimage tour of the religious shrines in Italy, Portugal and Spain. An exciting part of that trip was living through a 2:30a.m., 6.0 earthquake that swayed the walls of the hotel, shattering masonry and priceless art.
Joan was a two-time Cancer survivor, and famous as the first person to receive the TAVR 2 Heart Valve at NYU Langone Hospital in NYC seven years ago (Yes – she was 90). The procedure was witnessed firsthand by a bevy of the maker's executives and scientists who flew over from Europe to be there for the first operation. An international press release came out about her days later, praising its success. She insanely loved reading and called it a vice as she often couldn't put the book down and would continue page turning until the conclusion at 3a.m. Her hours spent at the East Brunswick Library were countless, taking out six books at a time, and having to return them in less than a week for a new collection.
Widowed in 2008, she filled her evenings watching DVD's, among her favorites were Overboard and My Cousin Vinny. Knitting and crocheting skills were stellar, producing hats, gloves, scarves, Afghans, vests, and the cutest baby hats and blankets.
She volunteered at Meals on Wheels, as well as The Adult Learning Center and was an active member of The Life Raft Group which supported survivors and shared the latest findings on GIST cancer. Many hours at the East Brunswick Senior Center distracted her sorrow when her husband died 16 years ago, including the bereavement sessions there, as well as the knitting group that made lap robes for nursing homes in the area.
Her very favorite place in the world was Tupper Lake and her house on Raquette River Drive. She and Leo honeymooned nearby. They often visited early in their marriage, made family trips when the kids were young and finally made their dreams come true when they bought their boathouse there in 1977. Years of winter skiing and summer boating and fishing filled the family's need for vacations in the huge house that can sleep 14 in beds. She was there 16 days earlier, enjoying her happy place in the window overlooking the river when her heart issues began, which led to her passing.
Her religious beliefs were infallible, and she looked forward to an afterlife with those gone years ago.
Up until this month, she drove her new car, shopped, cooked, managed her own finances, and even went to the most involved medical visits alone. She lived a fiercely independent life but felt so secure sharing her large home for company with her son, Shawn.
All five of her children felt like "only children," as she coined the term since we spanned 13 years from the oldest, Lynn to the youngest, Paul. In between were Shawn, Megan and Leo. She made each of us feel we were special and important to the family. Her 13 grandchildren all knew her well, stopping and calling her as their confidant and friend. Although she could sometimes seem stern, her direct approach to life and its circumstances included her complete support for all the problems, mistakes or surprises we hit her with. Joan had a no-nonsense approach to life, and we could rely on her to say what was on her mind. So, we all knew where she stood. Her recent joys were the births of her four great grandchildren, and knowing another one is on the way.
To say she was loved is an enormous understatement. We will never fill the void of the person she was. When asked how she would describe herself she recently came up with these adjectives; a decent, kind and strong woman. She showed us forever love, and her memory lives on in each one of our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The New York Adirondack Wild Center Museum, a place she supported and visited often.
