Joan E. (Sullivan) Conroy passed away at home on Thursday, August 26th after a long illness. Joan was a lifelong resident of Worcester. She was the most beloved wife of Robert L. Conroy to whom she had been married for 57 years prior to his passing in 2011. She was the only daughter of the late Cornelius P. and Beatrice E. (Croteau) Sullivan. She leaves her children; Christine Muth of Alexandria, VA, Robert L. Conroy, Jr., of Worcester, Joan (Mehrdad) Habib of Norfolk, MA, Nancy Conroy of Worcester, and Neil (Denise) Conroy of Medfield, MA.
Also, grandchildren; Emily Muth (Bradley) Gravolet of Reston, VA, Laura Muth of Portland, OR, Kian (Amanda) Habib of Boston, Cameron (Doria) Habib of Watertown, MA, Sarina Lugo of Foxborough, MA, and Sean, Matthew and Zachary Conroy all of Medfield, MA.
She leaves great grandsons Cyrus Lugo of Foxborough, MA, and Kayvan Habib of Boston. She was eagerly anticipating the birth of two great granddaughters later this year. She also leaves numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by two brothers; Ronald Sullivan and Cornelius Sullivan, Jr., mother-in- law Veronica McGuiness, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Ralph and Rita Spencer as well as her son-in-law Richard Muth.
Joan was a graduate of South High School and the former Memorial Hospital School of Nursing both in Worcester. She also obtained her bachelor’s degree from Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA. Joan was a registered nurse for many years working for Memorial Hospital, doing private duty, and ending her distinguished career as the Director of the Public Health nurses for the city of Worcester. She was a hard-working and dedicated nurse. In one of the darkest days in Worcester’s history, she aided and comforted victims of the devastating 1953 tornado.
With her husband, she raised and educated five children sending them all to college. Joan was a fierce advocate for all her children. She absolutely loved her family life and was a marvelous wife and mother. She also was a wonderful cook, trying countless recipes and amassing quite a collection of delicious dishes to share with her family; including her famous Sunday pot roast dinners. Joan always had a homemade dinner prepared each night and kept a beautiful home. Family events and the celebration of holidays were of paramount importance to her, and she always showed up for any event for her children and grandchildren. She loved her family members dearly and would do just about anything for their success and happiness.
Always the fashionista, Joan modeled her outfits with flair. Her eye for fashion was only surpassed by her dry wit and her saucy personality; “never a dull moment when Sully is near” was always the case (as noted in her high school yearbook). She was quite the local traveler. She loved taking day trips and exploring all of New England with her darling husband. Joan also loved county fairs, Pickity Place, antiquing, holiday house tours, and lunching with her girls.
In addition to being an avid reader, Joan was also a joiner. She was a member of the Red Hat Society, the Sweet Adelines and the Jaycees. She contributed to many charities. She enjoyed spending time at her beautiful summer cottage, “Shimmering Seas” in York, ME.
Words are incapable of expressing how much her family will miss her. She will be remembered and loved always.
We wish to thank the fine professional staff of Salmon Hospice for the amazing care they provided to our Mom over the last seven months which allowed her to make her final journey as comfortable as possible and from her own home. We thank the following Salmon Hospice staff; Dr. M. Kaddis, Stephanie, Sara, Cynthia, Sue Ellen, Katrina, Alison and Kelly. We, especially, would like to thank Ann, Brenda, Kathy, Kelly and Chaplain Brian for their dedication in caring for our mom on a regular basis. We wish to thank Kristin Gilchrist and Sabrina Couture of the Reliant Medical Group for their conscientious efforts to assist our mom over the past couple of years. We wish to express our deep gratitude to Dr. Mark Schrank of the Reliant Medical Group who as our mother’s primary care physician was always there for her (and us) whenever the need arose. He provided wonderful care to our mother over an extended period of time with utmost skill and professionalism. Finally, we want to say thanks to Msgr. Sullivan of Christ the King Church for his spiritual guidance and assistance in seeing that our mom’s wishes for her Mass and services were realized.
Her funeral Mass was private in Christ the King Church. There are no calling hours. Joan was interred at St. John’s Cemetery next to her beloved husband, Robert. O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue, Worcester assisted the family with arrangements. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Joan’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverly Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452 or to Salmon Hospice, 37 Birch Street, Milford, MA 01757.