On Monday, July 25, 2022, Joan Margaret (Laughlin) Andrade, loving Mother, beloved sister, and dedicated nurse, died at the age of 69.
Joan was born on October 2, 1952, in Brockton, MA, to Joseph and Mary (Milan) Laughlin. She received her nursing degree in 1973 from St Luke's Hospital and started her career at Boston Children's. Over the years she worked as an OR nurse at Union Hospital, assisted doctors in launching their private practices including what is now Eye Health associates in Dartmouth, as a visiting nurse in New Bedford and Fairhaven, and for the last 20 years at our Our Lady's Haven in Fairhaven. On February 14,1992, she married Carlos Andrade and later that year christened her only child, Jenna Carlissa Andrade.
Joan was the oldest of eight children and took on responsibility for the well-being of others early on. Her caring nature encompassed everything she did, from her lengthy nursing career to taking in stray dogs, tending her yard and flower garden, and making a mean seafood stew. Most content in her home by the ocean with a good book or public television, she could talk about the merits of British drama with the best of them. A lifetime of observing the human circumstance through the eyes of a nurse fueled a dry delivery to a wise and wicked sense of humor.
Joan was preceded in death by her husband Carlos Andrade. She is survived by her daughter Jenna, stepson Jeffrey Andrade, her sisters - Jane (Matheson) and Jean, brothers - Mark, Daniel, Timothy, Joseph, and Thomas, and nieces - Kathryn, Emma, Morgan, and Madison, nephews -Timothy, Erik and Willem, and 4 grand nieces and nephews. Her extended family includes hundreds of patients and grateful relatives for the emotional support she brought to her bedside manner.
Visitation hours from 4:00-7:00 PM, Thursday, August 18th at the Saunders-Dwyer Funeral Home, 50 County Rd, Mattapoisett.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Veterans Transition House at https://www.vetshouse.org/donate-now/